The Heart of the Lioness
by kiara8921
Summary: The final installment of the Lion series. Gabby has to find her way through the trails of being an old lady and a mother; dealing with being second to the club, prison time, creating a relationship with Tig her biological father, and deciding what kind of old lady she will be.
1. Chapter 1

_This is the final installment of Gabby's story. If you have not read the others please visit my profile and check out The Reluctant Lion Heart and Lion Heart._

_This story is set up a little bit differently, instead of each chapter being a different year/age this will be a more flowing story. I will still post the year and Gabby's age at the beginning of each chapter so you know where we are in Gabby's life. I will be attempting to post every Wednesday as I have been, although the time at which I post will vary as I do not work a regular schedule._

_A big thank you to everyone who has followed myself and Gabby along this journey, I never actually set out to write such a long drawn out story, but you, and the characters, have inspired me._

_A special thank you to the freak circle, the best most supportive group of girls I have known in a long time._

_And an extra special thank you to EmeraldJewelSparkle who read through a big chunk of this story and prevented me from deleting it and ending the Gabby storyline completely._

_Check me out on twitter kiara8921 I post when I update, when I'm writing, as well as a bunch of other boring and sometimes entertaining stuff._

_This chapter starts 1 year after the end of The Reluctant Lion Heart._

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Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

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2021

Age 29

"Hey Harry." Gabby kissed the old patch on the cheek as soon as she set Mathew's car seat down. "Any word on when they'll be here?" Harry had taken a role much like Piney's. At 68 he was still a voting member of Fresno but he didn't do much with them. His claim to fame was holding the fort these days.

"Should be hearing the thunder any minute now darling." He assured her and waved at Kristen who had made herself comfortable at the table her brother was on. Kristen smiled big and waved back.

"Go ahead and pull out your homework sweetie, you want an orange or a kiwi?" Gabby asked her daughter.

"Kiwi!" Kristen bounced in her seat and Gabby smiled before heading to get her daughter an after school snack.

She set a juice box and a sliced up kiwi on the table just as the room started to shake and both girls smiled.

"Daddy's home!" Kristen screamed and bounded out of her seat.

Gabby quickly unbuckled Mathew and followed her daughter and Harry out to the lot. "Let them park first Kristen!" She reminded the excited girl.

They waited together by the door until all the bikes, more than usual, came in and parked. Vivica's SUV pulled in shortly after and both old ladies walked into the crowd to greet their old men well behind Kristen.

"Hey baby." Gabby smiled and kissed Casper lightly, hindered by the 5 year old already in his arms.

"Hello Love." Casper smiled slightly at her and then bounced Kristen, "go say hi to Grandpa sweetie." Casper set her down and she ran to Happy as Casper took Mathew in his arms. "Would it be cliché to say look how big he's gotten?"

"You were gone a week baby." Gabby chuckled.

"I know, but I missed you fools." He spoke to the baby making him giggle. Casper looked back at his wife. "Tig and Jax came down; they're staying for the night."

"Club business?" Gabby asked eyeing the crowd.

Casper shrugged. "Jax and Chris are meeting the Mayan's tomorrow for a regular UN summit, and we both know Tig can't come down without some kind of excuse in his back pocket."

"Hey sweetheart." Happy came up next to Gabby and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hey dad." Gabby kissed him back.

"Hey, aren't you supposed to have my first born?" Casper eyed him. Happy chuckled and nodded over to Shark and Lenard, both fawning over the girl.

"Hey little man." Happy took Mathew from Casper and talked to him making him babble back. Gabby can only shake her head. She and Casper met eyes and grinned. Gabby and Casper were the only young couple in Fresno. Most of the men here either never got married or had a few divorces under their belt. As a result Kristen and Mathew were the only club kids around and got every patch's full attention. To say they were spoiled would be an understatement.

"You want him for the night?" Casper grinned at his father in law. Happy was well aware that the young couple used his babysitting to screw like rabbits.

"Slick." Happy refused the offer and handed Mathew back to Gabby. "Party tonight. Stop in mix with the Charming guys."

"Yes dad." Gabby rolled her eyes and called for Kristen as she and Casper headed inside.

"You got school work sweetie?" Casper settled his daughter at the table she had obviously claimed.

"Just shapes and numbers daddy." Kristen looked up at him standing behind her and he kissed her forehead.

"Casper!" Lenard called to him and he headed across the room. He caught sight of Tig waiting patiently for Gabby and Vivica to finish a conversation and shook his head. In his opinion Tig's attempts at bonding this past year were half assed at best. He'd made three trips down, all under the guise of club business and spent maybe 10 minutes with Gabby and the kids before he made some sort of excuse and hurried away.

Gabby was convinced he was genuine in his newfound move towards family and tried to convince Casper Tig's odd behavior was from a place of guilt.

Shark sat down next to Kristen and grabbed a piece of Kiwi off her plate. "What you doing munchkin?"

"Drawing shapes." Kristen answered and carefully watched him take more kiwi.

"What's that?" Shark pointed to what she was drawing.

"It's a hexagon." Shark grinned as she rolled her eyes at him and grabbed more kiwi.

"Uncle Shark!"

"What?" He asked around a mouthful of green fruit.

"Mommy Uncle Shark is eating my kiwi." Kristen wined to her mother.

"Share sweetie." Gabby chastised her and switched Mathew to her other hip.

Kristen looked back at her worksheet and pouted slightly.

"Good job sweetie." Casper came back and kissed his daughter on the head.

"Daddy Uncle Shark is eating my kiwi." Kristen strained her neck to look at her father.

"Dude you are literally taking food out of my child's mouth." Casper shook his head at his brother.

"No, I'm taking it off her plate." Shark defended himself although he knew he wasn't really in trouble.

"Share with Shark sweetie, boys are hungry from the road. Mommy can get you more if he finishes it." Casper swatted the back of Sharks head as he took more fruit off the plate.

"What's that one?" Shark pointed to the worksheet again to distract the 5 year old.

"It's an octagon." Kristen continued to draw the amount specified in the directions.

"Nah, that's not a real shape." Shark shook his head and slipped the last of the kiwi off the plate.

"Yes it is. Octagons have eight sides." Kristen answered not looking up.

"Never seen one in my life." Shark teased the girl before eating the fruit he had hidden in his hand.

"Stop signs are octagons." Kristen lectured the grown man and reached for her snack. "Uncle Shark!" She wailed and Shark laughed.

"Okay fine! Stop signs have 8 sides I believe you."

Kristen gave Shark a death glare she only could have learned from Happy and got up from the table going over to her mother. She started tugging her mother's shirt but didn't interrupt the adults' conversation.

"Yes sweetie?" Gabby asked after Vivica stopped talking and smiled down at the young girl.

"Mommy, Shark ate all my kiwi." She said with a small pout.

"Shark!" Vivica yelled at him from her place at the bar.

"What? It's good and healthy and it's like some exotic hard to find treasure." Shark sat back in his chair with a smirk. "I mean, where do you find such an exquisite specimen?"

"2 for $1 at the grocery store smart alec." Gabby answered and bent down to her daughter. "Are you still hungry?"

"Yes, can I have more kiwi?"

"No honey, that was the last one, do you want an orange?" Kristen turned her head and glared at Shark before nodding her head to her mother. "Okay, go sit down and I'll bring it to you."

Gabby stood back up and grinned at Vivica who chuckled at Shark's antics. Gabby turned to Tig whom she knew was close by waiting for an opening.

"Can you hold him for a sec?" Gabby asked indicating Mathew.

Tig's eyebrows shot up. "Yeah yeah sure." He sounded genuinely shocked and gently and carefully reached out and took Mathew. "Hey little man." He spoke to the barely one year old as he got him in a comfortable spot.

Gabby turned back to Vivica and subtly nodded her head in Tig's direction. She knew Tig was trying, and she was too, but the unsettled feeling in her gut had yet to dissipate whenever Tig came around. He had always set off the flight in Gabby's fight or flight response since she was a child and she wasn't sure it would ever completely go away.

Vivica nodded and moved to sit on the stool next to Tig to assure the young mother she wouldn't leave Tig alone with the baby.

Gabby made quick work of slicing up an orange for her daughter and made her way back out of the kitchen and set the plate down in front of her daughter and out of Sharks reach.

"Thank you mommy." Kristen happily took a slice and started to eat it.

"You're welcome sweetie. If Uncle Shark Asks you for a slice you have to share, okay?" Gabby spoke to her daughter while looking over her head at Shark. Trying to teach her daughter manners while she was surrounded by outlaw bikers was difficult enough without them purposely being bad examples.

"Yes."

"Alright. We're gonna go in a little bit. We're having dinner with Aunt Charlene and then you're spending the night with her."

"Okay mommy, can Betsey sleep with me tonight?" Kristen asked excited.

Betsey was Charlene's three year old pug that Kristen loved to pieces.

"You have to ask Charlene that, but she usually lets you, doesn't she?" Kristen nodded her head and grabbed another slice of orange before going back to her shapes.

Gabby returned to the bar and resisted the urge to immediately take her son back. Tig was adamantly talking to Mathew who was babbling back to him. Vivica looked at Gabby in a 'see everything's okay' way and excused herself to go find her old man.

"I think he likes you." Gabby said to Tig. He looked up at her and gave her a genuine smile.

"I like him too. You think, maybe I could take you all out for dinner, maybe get a chance to talk to you?" He asked hesitantly.

"Can't this time." Gabby tried to hide her relief but the disappointment in Tig's eyes made her feel a bit guilty. "I'm taking the kids to a friends' for dinner and then to spend the night so I can come to the party." She continued.

"Oh, well maybe we can talk a little at the party then."

"Yeah, maybe." She gave him half a smile and was saved from having to make small talk by Jax.

"Give him over Tig." Jax snatched Mathew out of Tig's hands and held him up high bouncing him. "God they're so cute at this age! Last night Abel heard I was coming here and went on and on about when he could see his cousins." Jax brought him back down and handed him back to Gabby with a kiss to her cheek.

"CHURCH!" He yelled and headed away to quickly grab a huge hug from Kristen on his way to the chapel.

"See you tonight?" Gabby asked of Tig as a way to say goodbye. She hated how awkward things always were with him.

"I look forward to it." Tig smiled and rubbed Mathews head before he walked away.

Gabby walked up to Casper as he was telling Kristen to have fun at her sleepover. "Bye my little man." Casper kissed his son and then his wife. "Drive safe, come back soon."

"I will, love you." She kissed him again before he left for the chapel and she sat down to wait for Kristen to finish her homework before they got on the road.

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Gabby got back to the clubhouse just as the party got into full swing. She shook her head at Bull and Tom Tom in the ring and quickly tracked down her old man greeting him with a sound kiss.

"Hey baby."

"Hey Love." He smiled at her and pulled her down into his lap on the crowded picnic table bench. "How's Charlene?"

"Back with Ryan." Both Casper and Gabby rolled their eyes.

"She took that douche back again?"

"Her life, her cheating boyfriend. Don't worry, he's not there. He hates kids, remember?" She snagged her old man's beer and took a sip.

"No comment on that one." Casper took his beer back and finished it. "Tig was looking for you."

"He wanted to spend some time with me tonight." Gabby started to pick at the label of the empty beer bottle Casper was holding.

"You want me with you?" He rubbed his wife's back to calm her.

"Nah, it's a big party, he might not even find me." She averted her gaze to the bottle she was still picking at.

"Right, sure, big party." He mocked her avoidance and she playfully elbowed him in the side. She wrinkled her nose at Frankie getting his tongue sucked out of his mouth by a new sweet butt.

"I'm gonna grab us more drinks." She kissed him and climbed off his lap to head back into the clubhouse.

Friday night parties were vastly different for Gabby in Fresno than they were in Charming. She didn't attend every one but she at least made an appearance at more than half. She wasn't afraid to walk around unescorted here and got no problems from the men or the sweet butts. She wasn't sure if it was because Fresno knew her as Happy's daughter or Casper's old lady, but either way she was no longer just the illegitimate daughter of a croweater, and she loved it.

She finally got the appeal of spending a few hours with family and friends, drinking and blowing off steam. She had run off any drug using sweet butts with the full support of Vivica and Chris. She still avoided the fights, and left before people started fucking and or passing out virtually everywhere.

She made it to the bar after a few stops to greet patches and cut in front of three sweet butts to grab her and Casper beers. The women didn't dare complain or glare at her.

She was about to leave again when she spotted Tig talking to Shark and quickly turned back around and went back to the bar. She was 29 years old and couldn't believe she was being so immature about having a conversation with her estranged biological father. She rolled her eyes at her own ridiculous inner dialogue.

Her eyes fell on a young looking girl sitting at the bar staring at her cell phone. "Hey." Gabby greeted her and sat down next to her. "Everything okay?"

"Umm, yeah. Hi." She turned her phone upside down on the bar and swept her hair out of her face.

"I don't recognize you, I'm Gabby."

"I'm Becky. I've never been here before." She looked around at the chaos of the clubhouse and Gabby smiled and gave her one of the beers she was carrying.

"Not what you were expecting?"

"Thank you." Becky took the beer. "I didn't really know what to expect. A friend convinced me to come with her."

Gabby tapped Becky's phone. "She abandoned you, didn't she?"

"Like, the second she parked the car." Becky shook her head.

"What's she wearing? Actually, I can guess that, what does she look like?"

"Umm, black mini skirt and sparkly blue halter top. Tall, skinny, she has a pink streak in her hair." Becky tried to recall the stand out features of her friend.

Gabby took a sip of her beer. This girls friend was probably working her way a little lower than Frankie's mouth right now in the lot. "She probably just hooked up with someone. Just try to relax, have a good time." Gabby clanked her bottle against Becky's and got up. "She'll turn up, maybe try outside. I gotta get back to my old man, supposed to be grabbing us beers." Gabby held hers up.

"Old man… oh, oh my god you're one of the like head…big… I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to bug you." Becky looked like she had just broken a thousand dollar vase in a stranger's house.

"Hey it's okay. I don't know who you got your information from but I'm not untouchable. You looked distressed, I came over. It's not like you pushed up on my husband."

Gabby squeezed her hand and headed around the bar to grab Casper another beer. "You want something Vin?" Gabby looked up and saw him staring at her.

"Beer." Gabby handed him a fresh one and made her way out from behind the bar. "Thanks hun, how you doing?" Vin swung an arm around her and walked her outside into the fresh air.

Gabby glanced back when she realized Vin had blocked Tig's view of her leaving. "Everything's good. Glad to have you back Vin." Gabby was equally close to Vin and Shark more than she was with the rest of the Fresno patches. Vin had stepped up to look out for her before Happy had transferred here and hadn't backed off since.

"So which old man sent you to get me out of Tig's eye line, my husband or my father?"

"Shark actually. Nodded me over when he saw you do an about face before Tig saw you."

Gabby laughed and shook her head. She had grown closer to Shark when Kristen was born. Tom Tom had quickly backed off when the seriousness of his best friend becoming a father had cut into his x box time. Shark on the other hand still showed up for at least a bi-weekly meal and his increased presence had insured Kristen was as attached to him as she was to her grandfather, and Shark loved it.

Shark was an anomaly. He loved his outlaw lifestyle and went through women faster than gasoline. But he was also an eternal family man, he wanted to settle down and have kids desperately but the kind of women attracted to him weren't what he considered mother material.

"You guys don't have to protect me from Tig. Might be better if you didn't. Gotta talk things through at some point."

"You know….I don't know the full story between you two, but I do know he makes you uncomfortable, and that's all that matters to me." Vin whistled at Frankie who currently had a very enthusiastic sweet butt between his legs.

"Yeah, it's about that time." Gabby sighed and handed a beer to her husband. "Think we can switch seats?" Gabby asked still standing as Vin left.

"I could be persuaded." He grabbed her hand and stood up pulling her close. "You were gone a long time."

"I met someone." Gabby teased him.

"Hmmm, should I be jealous?"

"You should, she's gorgeous." Gabby slipped a hand under her husband's belt and pulled him close.

"Oooo now we're talking. We have no kids tonight; you should bring her over so I can meet her." He flashed her a grin and raised his eyebrows.

"Casper!" Gabby took her hand out of his pants and slapped his chest hard.

"Alright, teasing Love, just teasing!" He took a step back to exaggerate the power of her hit and rubbed his chest. "I would like to take you home though." He stepped back up to her and kissed her. "You find Tig yet?"

"Yeah but…he was busy so…no talking tonight."

"You are so transparent." Casper shook his head.

"It would have been rude to interrupt his conversation." Gabby said innocently. "This place is quickly going from R to XXX, you ready to go?"

"Hmmm." Casper kissed his old lady deeply, pulling her close. "I wish, promised Lenard a pool game."

"Pool?" Gabby asked skeptically.

"Might be a rough game." Casper smiled, his wife knew he was lying but it was their game. There was no way he was telling Gabby he had been challenged and was going in the ring. "Could get brutal, Lenard can be downright cruel with a pool cue."

Gabby pulled his head down to her level and kissed him till he grabbed her ass and lifted her off the ground. "Good luck, I love you. Come home so I can kiss everything and make it better."

"Everything?" Casper asked before kissing her again.

"Everything that hurts." Casper gave her a cocky grin and set her down on her feet.

"Bye Love."

"Bye Baby."

Gabby smiled to herself as she made her way across the lot to her car.

"Becky?" Gabby saw the younger woman on her way out of the gate on foot. "Becky!" Gabby jogged a few steps to get to her.

"Gabby…hi…"

"You can't walk home Becky." Gabby lightly grabbed her arm.

"Look, I know you told me to relax and all that, but I have to get home, I have to let the baby sitter go and Angie never showed up." Becky shook her head. "I knew I should have driven."

"No, I meant you shouldn't walk home. I'll drive you, I was about to leave too."

"No, that's okay, really. I don't want to put you out."

"It's okay, really. I get the whole babysitter thing, I've got two kids, they're at a friend's tonight. How old is yours?" Gabby put the woman at ease as she walked them back to her car.

"She's three, Susan. I call her Suzie." Becky was a bit relieved by the booster seat and car seat base in the backseat of Gabby's car. "How old are yours?"

"Kristen is five and Mathew just turned one." Gabby subconsciously smiled. "Where do you live?"

"Oh, ah… Summercrest Apartments. On Church Ave."

"Yeah, I know it. Actually nearly moved in there."

"You did?" Summercrest was one of, if not the cheapest apartment complex in the city. It was also the crappiest and in a pretty bad neighborhood.

"I was looking online before I moved here and I was moving out of a small ass studio above a barber shop, it was dirt cheap though. Anyway when I saw how much true apartments cost in this city I decided to just go for the cheapest. I came down to take a look and Casper, that's my husband…now, boyfriend then, freaked and wouldn't even take me there." Gabby laughed as she continued to drive. "I went anyway while he was at work. The apartment was bigger and believe it or not nicer than where I was moving from."

"Really? Cause I mean, I know how bad it is." Becky assumed the woman was just trying to make her feel better.

"Like I said, lived above a barber shop. On really hot days I could smell the permanent subtle odor of human hair." Gabby glanced at her passenger and let out an exaggerated shutter and Becky laughed. "Which door?" Gabby asked as she waited to make the left into Summercrest.

Becky pointed to a far door and Gabby pulled in and parked close to it. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. The ride and just…you being nice to me."

"You're welcome. Can I ask a favor in return?"

"Of course!"

"Can I use your bathroom? I've been crossing my legs for an hour. I don't go in the clubhouse bathrooms during parties.

Becky laughed. "Oh, I did and I certainly regret it. Come on up." The women made their way up to Becky's second story apartment.

Becky pulled out her keys and unlocked the dead bolt and then the door knob before kicking the bottom of the door to get it open. "Oh my God!"

"Oh Shit!" Gabby started to laugh as the babysitter scrambled to pull her skirt down and her apparent boyfriend used a toss pillow to cover his crotch as he hopped back into his jeans.

"AMBER!" Becky screamed in shock.

"Miss Chambers!" The babysitter, apparently named Amber, screeched as she twisted her shirt into the right position and snatched her bra off the floor.

"Oh my god!" Becky put a hand on her head and rummaged through her purse with the other. "Just go home Amber, here 5 hours…"

"Oh no Miss Chambers, my treat, she never even woke up." Amber grabbed her purse and pushed her boyfriend out the door in front of her.

Gabby closed the door behind them and leaned against it. "Well that's one way to get out of paying the babysitter." She started laughed again and Becky joined her. "Okay, okay." Gabby fanned her face and wiped tears from her eyes. "Bathroom now or I will truly pee my pants."

"Down the hall on the left." Becky pointed as she wiped tears from under her own eyes.

Gabby caught her reflection in the mirror as she washed her hands and smiled wide. She had seen a lot of things at the clubhouse over the years but that teenage boys pale white ass bouncing up and down on the couch had to be one of the funniest.

She slipped out of the bathroom and saw Becky peaking in a bedroom. Becky closed the door and turned around. "She actually slept through all that, amazing."

"Ah to be a kid again." Gabby smiled. "Sleep through anything really. I should get going, old man will be home soon, night without the kids." She hinted.

"I don't think I've ever had a whole night without Suzie. Not that it really matters." Becky spoke while walking Gabby to the door.

"Not much of a love life?"

"Her dad left us high and dry. He's in the Navy, got me knocked up, acted like he was thrilled when I told him but then he got deployed and it was like he fell off the planet. He mine as well have faked his death. I know he came home, wonders of Facebook, but…" Becky trailed off.

Gabby shook her head. "No child support I'm sure. My father did the same. You'll find someone; I ended up with a great dad."

"I just don't want her to suffer because of me, you know?"

"That makes a huge difference. The fact that you care I mean. You can make up for money with love and attention, especially at this age. She doesn't care about name brand clothes or vacations, just spend time with her."

"Is that what your mother did?"

"No. It's what I wish she would have done. Looking back at the crap I wore to school, going to bed hungry, it doesn't matter to me. I just wish my mother had spent time with me." And loved me, Gabby added silently but wasn't prepared to open up so completely to a stranger.

"Thanks, that… that makes me feel better." Becky gave her a shy smile and rubbed her hands up and down her arms. "Well umm, thanks for the ride, and the talk."

"No problem, you gonna be around the clubhouse again?"

"Oh, I don't know. I don't get a sitter that often and that party wasn't really… I mean, no offense, it just wasn't…"

"I understand." Gabby nodded her head and grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper out of her purse. "Here, this is my cell number. Call me; we can get the kids together, no clubhouse."

"Okay, yeah totally." Becky took the paper and Gabby opened the door.

"I mean it; call me, free day out. We can do lunch or dinner at my place, the kids have a swing set. If we get lucky we can pawn them off on my old man and empty a bottle of wine."

Becky laughed. "Okay, yeah sure. I'll call you when I get next week's schedule."

"Alright, bye Becky."

"Bye."

Gabby quickly got back to her car and headed home. She wanted to beat Casper home and she had no way of knowing how long he would be gone.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you everybody for the comments follows and favs. I'm so glad you all stayed this long into Gabby's story. As a reminder this story is not a year per chapter like The Reluctant Lion Heart. This chapter is set the very next day after chapter 1._

_Big Thanks to the freak circle, you girls are so incredibly supportive. check me out on twitter: kiara8921_

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Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

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2021

Age 29

Casper lay awake in bed watching his wife still sound asleep. She had been ready and waiting last night when he got home both to treat his wounds and make love to him. He smiled and moved a piece of hair off her face.

Tom Tom and Bull had both tried to talk Casper out of taking an old lady, and Tom Tom had basically turned his back on him when they announced Gabby was pregnant. And sure, his life had changed, but he didn't regret it for a second. He loved his family, his wife meant more to him than he could ever imagine.

She gave him freedom and trusted him, didn't nag about the time the club took up and never got jealous of the sweet butts. And even now in this tranquil moment he kind of missed the sound of little feet escaping their beds and peeking through the door.

"Sleep." Gabby murmured and held his hand down to the bed when he swept more hair out of her face. He grinned and kissed her forehead.

"You have to get the kids?" He asked and slid back down to lay close to his wife.

"Charlene's bringing them back at lunch, we're gonna go to Vivica's and swim." Gabby shifted closer to Casper as she talked.

"Tig is gonna be there." He informed her.

"What?"

"Chris is having Jax and Tig over for steaks after the meeting. Invited all of us."

"Would have been nice if Vivica mentioned that." Gabby buried her head in her husband's chest. He rolled them both over and started kissing her neck.

"You know she didn't tell you on purpose. Busy body wants nothing more than to see you get over your Tig issues." He started kissing lower and she ran her fingers through his hair.

"However…" He continued to kiss a path down the lump of her breast to her nipple. "It's morning, there's no hungry kids waiting at the door. And I was a very good boy on my run." He emphasized that by finally capturing her nipple. "I think I deserve a reward."

Gabby laughed. "And what was last night?" She teased although they both knew she had no intention of turning him down.

"Last night? Purely medicinal, kiss and make it better, remember?" He captured her nipple once more and ran a hand down her side till it cupped her ass.

He paused momentarily at the sound of a bike but continued as soon as it seemed to stop. He trailed his tongue back up his wife's body till he captured her mouth and she instinctually wrapped her legs around him and pulled him closer.

The doorbell rang just as he was about to slip inside of her. "Mother Fucker!" He pushed himself up and grabbed last night's jeans off the floor. "Stay right there! I'm shooting whoever the fuck that is."

Gabby groaned and laid back in bed listening to her old man angrily storm down the stairs.

"What!?" Casper yelled as he opened the door with his left hand, his right brandishing a gun. "Tig what the fuck are you doing here?"

Tig looked at Casper's half-dressed state and the gun in his hand and knew he might have made a mistake coming over this morning.

"I came to see the kids."

"Kids ain't here." Casper seethed out.

"Oh…well Gabby…"

"Is busy." Casper finished Tig's sentence for him.

"Busy…I'm just gonna go then." Tig backed up a few steps before turning back to his bike.

Casper slammed the door shut and locked it before bounding back up the stairs only to find their bed empty. He followed the sound of water into the bathroom and stripped and joined his wife in the shower.

"Tig didn't ruin the mood?" Gabby teased when she was immediately picked up and pressed against the tile.

"Nothing can make me not want my wife." He answered and captured her mouth once again.

* * *

"What you doing Love?" Casper walked into Kristen's bedroom and reached his hands over Gabby's head to get a box down she was struggling to reach.

"You remember the woman I met last night?" Gabby took the box and checked the contents.

"I remember you saying you met someone."

"Yeah, Becky. I ended up driving her home last night. She has a little girl." Gabby trailed off and went back to the closet reaching for another box of Kristen's old clothes.

"You're giving her stuff? I thought we were saving this for baby number three." He took the box out for her, set it down, and hugged her. "Love?"

"Baby, IF we have another kid it won't be for a few years. And it might not be a girl. I'm keeping the baby stuff. Becky's daughter is three. I went in the apartment it…" She trailed off again and sighed. "The dad walked out on them. I don't know what Becky does but…"

"But it reminded you of your mother's place?" Casper pulled her away a bit to look at her.

"Not as bad. Didn't get the vibe that Becky was using. She wants to be a good mom, but she's struggling. I know what that little girl's life is like Casper. I know what it could turn into."

"Okay." Casper kissed her on the forehead. "I trust your judgment. You want me to carry these downstairs?"

"Please. She said she'd call me next week so the kids could play but I don't know if she will. She seemed pretty embarrassed of her situation."

"So you gonna be the pushy biker bitch and go over there? Be my friend or else?" Casper smiled as he teased her.

"Thought I'd take her the clothes and invite her to swim with us, although maybe not with all the others coming too."

"Bring her. Guys ain't gonna say no to another girl in a bikini." He lifted the boxes and headed down the stairs.

"Hmmm, bikini…" Gabby stopped following her husband and headed back to her bedroom.

* * *

Becky was surprised by the knock on the door and cautiously opened it. "Gabby?" She swung the door open completely and stepped out of the way of the woman struggling with two large boxes.

Gabby set them down in the middle of the living room and stood back up cracking her back. "Okay, first off, I am not being pushy…I'm actually having an 'oh my god I'm turning into Gemma' moment." She had finally understood Gemma's tendency to be so domineering, no one really welcomed the biker chick anywhere, she had to push her way in.

"Gemma?" Becky wondered but Gabby waved her off.

"I brought some of Kristen's old clothes for Suzie. 3T and 4T. Some of the toys and books that I know my son won't touch also."

"Oh my…thank you… I don't…"

"It's okay. This stuff was literally packed in boxes in her closet. I wanted Suzie to have them. Is she here?"

"Yeah she is… she's… Suzie!" Becky was still speechless at this near stranger's generosity and hurried to her daughter's bedroom. "Suzie, baby come see what Mommy's new friend brought you." Suzie came out of her room carrying a baby doll that had seen better days in what looked like her own old baby clothes.

"Hi Suzie." Gabby squatted down to the little girl's level. "My name is Gabby."

"Hi." The little girl said swinging her doll in front of her.

"I brought you some clothes and toys, do you want to take a look?" She nodded her head shyly and Gabby un-stacked the boxes and opened them both for the girl to look through.

Suzie peaked into the first box and her eyes lit up as she pulled out a pink Disney princess shirt. "Mommy look!" Suzie put her doll down and held the shirt up to herself.

"I see baby." Becky was near tears as her daughter continued to go through boxes. 'Thank you' Becky mouthed again to Gabby and Gabby smiled wide and gave Becky a hug.

"You're welcome. Come on, let her play." Gabby led her away a bit so Suzie wouldn't pay attention to them but Becky could still see her. "I know you didn't like the party last night but I was hoping you'd give the club one more chance. I'm taking the kids swimming at a friend's house and it apparently turned into a bit of a club picnic. I thought maybe you and Suzie could come. I promise if the club's still not your thing I won't ask you to do anything else with them. But I really want you to meet some of them, at least my old man. I told him a little bit about you already."

Becky was quite for a second. "I don't want to sound ungrateful, I'd still love to get together but Suzie can't swim, and neither of us have swimsuits."

"I brought you both suits. Suzie's is in the boxes, and you just happen to be my pre-baby number 2 size." Gabby pulled a suit out of her purse and dangled it in front of Becky. "The pool has a shallow side and Vivica has lots of water wings and life vests for the kids."

"Vivica… as in the Presidents old lady? Oh…"

"Don't freak. I don't know what your friend told you about the club but I am inviting you, as my guest." Gabby looked at Becky's face and backed up a step. "Yeah, okay I'm definitely having a pushy Gemma moment."

"No, not pushy! This…that…" Becky pointed at her daughter going through the boxes. "That is amazing and kind. I'm just wondering why you're so… interested. In me, in Suzie, in me getting involved in your club."

"Honestly? Well, it's complicated. Mostly I really want another mom as a friend. And I think we'd really get along. Unfortunately me hanging out with someone completely independent of the club isn't gonna go over to well. Not that I'm not allowed, I don't want to give you that perception of the club, it just won't be easy."

"That actually makes a lot of sense, it doesn't really seem complicated though. "

"I understand what you and your daughter are going through, my mother and I lived liked this, worse than this. It got a lot worse. I'm not saying that you're bad just that, I understand this…" Gabby waved her arms around the room. "I'd like to make this a little easier for you, for her, and make a friend in the process. If that's okay?" Gabby began to get nervous. She was hearing the words coming out of her mouth but they weren't conveying what she wanted them to.

Becky smiled, "you're not what Angie described. She made this big deal about old ladies. What they're like, what they do, what it takes to become one, what you get to do and dictate once you become one. When I found out you were one I thought you were going to kick me out of the clubhouse or put me to work cleaning something. I'm kinda intimidated by you."

"Don't be intimidated by me, just go swimming with me."

* * *

Casper showed up to his presidents house with Tom Tom and Shark. He had made a point of arriving before the meeting with the Mayans was done so he could have time with his kids.

"Daddy!" Kristen lifted herself out of the pool as soon as he turned the corner into the backyard and launched herself into her father's arms.

"Hi sweetie. Are you having fun?" Casper carried Kristen back to the pool.

"Yes, mommy made a friend and I made a new friend too."

"Oooo yes you did munchkin." Shark yanked her ponytail while examining the new girl floating on her back in a bikini. "What's your new friend's name?"

"Suzie!" Kristen squirmed out of her father's arms and attempted to pull him closer to the water.

"And her mother's name is Becky. If you scare away this woman I will not be responsible for what my wife does to you." Casper warned Shark and knelt down to his daughter.

"Let me change and I'll swim with you."

"Really?" Kristen asked jumping up and down.

"Really sweetie. Come on." Casper lifted Kristen back up, "Gabs!" He called and when his wife swam a few feet closer he tossed his daughter back in the pool as she squealed.

"Becky huh? What do you know about her?" Shark continued to stare at the woman, joined now by Tom Tom.

"She was at last night's party. She has a daughter and Gabby invited her here." Casper filled in his brother as he ducked into the pool house and changed into swim trunks.

"She's got a kid?" Tom Tom seemed disappointed.

"Dad not in the picture?" Shark clarified.

"Guys seriously, what the fuck? Tom Tom you have a girlfriend and Shark, did you or did you not fuck two different sweet butts last night and take a third one home?"

"The third one was the first one." Shark clarified as the men headed back to the pool area. "Hey Charlene, your phone is flashing!" Shark grabbed a beer and sat down at a table under an umbrella.

"Uggh!" Charlene sent Mathew floating over to Gabby and climbed up the ladder.

"Don't answer him Char! Babe!" Gabby yelled at her husband.

"On it!" Casper grabbed the phone out of Charlene's hand and read the message out loud. "If I find out you're with those criminals we're done you slut." Casper tossed the phone to Shark. "I don't know where the fuck to start. The fact that you took him back, for the third time mind you, after he cheated on you. The fact that you let him treat you and talk to you like that or the fact that I actually allow it to go on."

"We could take care of him for you." Shark offered.

"Give me the phone!" Charlene reached over to Shark.

"No."

"Shark! Phone!" Shark tossed the phone to Casper and pulled Charlene down into his lap.

"Why do you keep letting that bastard back in?" Charlene tried to get up but Shark held her tight. "You deserve better darling."

"Ryan's a great guy."

"Charlene you cried on my couch for three days last time he cheated on you." Casper reminded her.

"Oh shut up!" Charlene got off Sharks lap and dove for her phone. Casper threw it back to Shark and grabbed Charlene around the waist and pulled her into the water with him.

Becky glanced at Gabby in shock but Gabby didn't seem bothered by the physical contact between the two. She kept Suzie close and away from the rough housing.

"Can you?" Gabby pointed at Mathew and Becky nodded her head and pulled the happy baby over by his small life vest.

Gabby swam over to the fighting duo and jumped on her husband's back to stop him from dunking her best friend.

"Hey hey! No tag teaming! Shark!" Casper yelled for help but Shark could only laugh at his friend now being attacked by two bikini clad women.

"Munchkin, come here, stay out of the fight." Shark jumped up and pulled Kristen out of the pool.

"No, I want to dunk daddy too." Kristen attempted to squirm out of Shark's arms but he held tight.

"You can dunk me, come on, introduce me to your new friend." Shark carried Kristen to the other side of the pool and dropped her in before jumping in himself.

"Uncle Shark this is Suzie." Kristen swam over to the younger girl.

Shark smiled at Becky who shyly smiled back. "Hi Suzie, very nice to meet you. And who is Suzie's mother?"

"Becky!" Kristen answered for the woman and both adults smiled at each other.

"Nice to meet you Becky. I'm Shark." He extended his hand but was quickly under water as Kristen jumped on his shoulders.

"Ah! Kristen!" Shark yelled as he came back up to the surface. Suzie and Kristen both laughed and Shark smiled at the younger girl. "You want to dunk me too?" Suzie nodded her head and escaped her mother's arm so she and Kristen could dunk him.

Gabby came back over and swooped Mathew up in her arms. "I see you met Shark. Relax Becky he loves kids. He'll keep her entertained all day."

"Never seen her like this, Suzie's usually shy."

"Like her mom." Gabby teased.

Becky's cheeks turned pink as she finally tore her eyes away from her daughter.

"Come on, let me trade off kid duty and we can lay out in the sun. Meet you at the chairs." Gabby nodded to the lounge chairs set up on the far side of the pool and carried Mathew to Casper.

"Hey little man." Casper took him immediately.

"He's been in here a while, he might need to go down."

"I'll do it later. Gonna lounge for a while with my son." Casper smiled and shifted Mathew so he was securely on his chest as Casper floated on his back.

"Okay." Gabby kissed him. "His bag is in the den, pack and play is set up, there's a baby monitor in there…"

"Yes Gabs I can put my son down for a nap."

"I know you can, but we're not at home." Casper rolled his eyes and Gabby poured a handful of water over his face before swimming to the edge and climbing out.

* * *

It wasn't an hour later that more men started showing up in the backyard. Harry and Frankie showed up and immediately fired up the grill to start hamburgers and hotdogs.

"Damn." Bull walked in the back and stopped dead at the new girl laid out in a bikini. "Thought Vivica said no sweet butts." Bull grabbed a beer and sat down next to Tom Tom. Vivica didn't let sweet butts at any pool party. Too many fake tits in not enough swim suits she always said when the guys complained.

"Gabby's friend, Becky." Tom Tom informed his brother.

"She's hot, she single?"

"Yeah, got a kid though." Tom Tom was in no way interested in kids, not in having his own and defiantly not in an insta-family. There was no way he was raising some other guy's kid, no matter how hot the mom might be.

"Good for a fuck." Tom Tom shook his head as Bull took off his cut and shirt and headed over to the line of girls.

"Hey new girl." Bull stood next to her and whistled.

"Seriously." Charlene mumbled and Gabby chuckled.

"Becky this is Bull take no offense to what he says and don't get stuck in a room alone with him." Gabby introduced Bull.

"Excuse me?" Bull ripped off his sunglasses and glared at Gabby. "You need to watch what the fuck you say to me."

"You need to watch what the fuck you say to my old lady." Casper appeared in front of the three women and stared down Bull.

"Whatever." Bull stalked away and Casper shook his head.

"Does Kristen need to give you a lesson on playing nice?" Casper teased his wife.

"I didn't insult him, I warned Becky about him."

Casper walked over and kissed his wife. "Next time wait till he's out of earshot. You know I'm gonna be in the ring with him over this."

Gabby reached a hand up and pulled Casper down for a deep kiss. She waited for him to kneel on the chair and run a hand up her side under her bikini top to pull away slightly and pout. "Sorry baby."

"Uh huh." He gave her another peck on the lips and stood up to his full height of 6'5''. "Mathew is down, girls should take a rest too."

"The squealing died down a while ago, are they still playing?"

"They're pulling Shark around on a raft. He's awake, don't look at me like that. He pulled them around and then convinced them it was his turn." Casper chuckled as he looked back at the pool.

"They'll probably sleep through dinner. We waiting for the others? Is there a problem?" Gabby's relaxed mood instantly disappeared with a glance at her phone for the time.

"They're on their way over now." He snagged her hand and kissed it. "Everything's fine Love." He gave her a smile and looked out at the growing party. "Where's Vivica?"

"In the air conditioning."

"Cooking?"

"Vivica doesn't cook babe. Guys are grilling, she bought the side dishes. She won't come out till the sun goes down." Gabby shielded her eyes and looked up at Casper. "You'll still love me when the sun turns me all wrinkly right?"

Casper grinned and shook his head earning a slap to the thigh. "Do the kids have sunblock on?"

"Waterproof SPF 75 every two hours."

"Such a good wrinkly mother." Casper laughed and walked away.

"He calls you love, that's really sweet." Becky observed.

"He's always called her love, since day one." Charlene spoke for her friend.

"Yeah, he has always called me Love. I think it's what he called any girl and it kinda reverted to just me." Gabby realized.

"Any classy girl." Charlene surmised.

"Gabs!" Shark called over and all three women sat up to see what was wrong.

"That right there is why I put up with all this club shit." Charlene leaned over and whispered to Becky.

Shark walked over in nothing but black swim trunks, water dripping down his perfect abs, a child on each arm. "I've got two sleepy girls for two well rested mothers." Shark winked at Becky.

"Bring 'em here." Gabby smiled and grabbed a towel to wrap around her daughter. "Hey sweetie. You have fun?" Kristen nodded and curled up onto her mother's lap. "You tired?" Kristen shook her head 'no' violently but her thumb found its way into her mouth and her head leaned against her mother's sun warmed chest.

Gabby laughed. "Okay sweetie. You stay here with me and dry off but don't fall asleep, okay?" She got no response and scooted back further into the chair.

"And this little girl no longer qualifies as awake. She fails all the tests." Shark teased. "Suzie?" He jostled her a bit and she moaned and adjusted her head on his shoulder.

"Oh my goodness." Becky stood up and peeled her daughter off Shark. "Thank you."

"No sweat."

"What you got for me?" Charlene flashed him a grin.

"Whatever you want as soon as you dump the douche bag." Charlene groaned and lay back down.

Gabby rubbed her daughters back until she was sure she was asleep and carefully stood back up with her. "There's a place for them inside." Gabby said quietly and Becky nodded and followed the slightly older woman into the house and down a hall.

Gabby set her daughter down sans towel on a big king bed and Becky did the same. Gabby peaked into a pack and play in the corner before moving the baby monitor between Mathew and the girls.

"Casper has the monitor with him. But Kristen knows to just come out when she wakes up." She led Becky through the house and stopped in the kitchen.

"Viv, guys are close, this all going out?" Gabby called down another hall.

Vivica, who Becky met earlier, came into the kitchen in a flowing sundress and a large floppy sun hat. Becky has been surprised upon first meeting as she seemed the exact opposite of a biker's old lady.

"Plates, napkins, buns, condiments, toppings, potato salad, pasta salad. That's everything right?" Vivica ticked off each item on her fingers as Gabby pulled items out of the fridge.

"I'll slice up the onion and tomato. You want these salads in bowls or serve them in 'Grandma's recipe' buckets?" Gabby held up the large tubs and grinned.

"Oh like any of them care!" Vivica scoffed and took the lids off the tubs and stuck large serving spoons in each.

Becky laughed and started peeling leaves off the head of lettuce Gabby handed her. "Charlene! Get your ass in here and help with the bitch work!" Gabby yelled out the window and Charlene flipped her off before hopping up and coming inside.

"Here." Vivica handed her the buckets of side salads and followed her out with the plates and napkins.

"You want this set up any special way?" Becky asked, finished with the lettuce and looking at the large pile of sliced tomato.

"Just grab a big tray from under there." Gabby pointed to a cupboard with her foot. "Put it all on, doesn't have to look pretty, it'll get devoured before they bother to look at what it is."

Becky quickly laid out all the toppings for the hamburgers on the tray still making an effort to at least make it semi organized.

"We good?" Gabby asked rinsing the knife and then her hands as Becky finished laying out the onion and did the same.

"Is there anything else to go out?"

"Just silverware, that big box of plastic stuff." Gabby indicated with a tip of her head as she picked up the tray and Becky opened the door for her.

"Food!" Vin yelled as he spotted Gabby carrying the tray on his way into the backyard.

"And here comes the rest of the boys." Gabby whispered to Becky and gave the guys a smile as they descended on the backyard.

Chris instantly pulled his wife's hat off and kissed her. Vin kissed Gabby's cheek as he walked by and tipped Shark's chair so he fell into the pool from his perch right on the side of it.

"Nice look sis." Jax grinned at Gabby in her bikini.

Gabby stuck her tongue out at him, "you have two kids and look like this asshole."

"Calling the Redwood president an asshole, that's why I love you Gabs." Chris called over. Gabby just smiled and tried to stifle a laugh.

"Do I want to know?" Hap asked, walking up last with Tig.

"Probably not." Gabby shook her head and kissed Hap's cheek. "Becky this is my Dad, Hap."

Becky smiled and offered her hand which Hap awkwardly half shook. "You drown the kids?" Hap asked Gabby looking around.

"Wore them out in the pool. They're inside."

"I'm Tig." Tig offered his hand to Becky when no one bothered to introduce him. "I'm Gabby's….Tig."

Charlene choked on her beer and pulled Becky away. "Tig is… special. Stay away from Tig." She whispered to the newbie. "Come on, it's easier to just wait till the guys are chowing down before venturing to get food.

Becky eyed Gabby and Vivica amidst the crowd of bikers and then eyed Charlene dragging her back to the lounge chairs. "So, sweet butts have to wait their turn?" She asked.

"No honey, there's no sweet butts here. Biker life is a little more complicated than that. We're friends of the club. Higher than sweet butts, more of a hang around. Just don't start sleeping around, than you will be demoted. You want to date a Son that's fine. More than two, you'll be pushing it. And I'd give it a few months so you don't look like a manipulator.

Becky slowly nodded her head. "So you aren't with any of these guys?"

"Oh god no! I appreciate, flirt, but this isn't my life. No this is the consequence and benefit of having my best friend turn into an old lady."

"Turn into? You knew her before?"

"Gabby and I grew up together. Up north, in Charming. I left for college, in San Diego and stayed. She came here to marry Casper." Becky nodded her head and settled back in her chair. Her friend had definitely given her a different run down of the club. She definitely liked this story better.

"Here!" Gabby showed up balancing full plates of food. "Charlene your disgusting mustard covered atrocity compliments of Vin. Becky, I didn't know how you took your burger so I just did ketchup." She handed out the plates before sitting down with them.

"Ask her for mustard." Charlene leaned over licking the escaping mustard from the edge of the bun.

"Stop." Gabby put her hand up blocking her view of the disgusting yellow spread.

"Mustaaaaard…" Charlene waved the burger and Gabby turned her head completely and dry heaved.

"Stop! Oh my god!" Gabby hopped back out of the chair and continued to dry heave as Charlene opened up her hamburger bun and licked mustard off it.

"What the hell is wrong with mustard?" Becky asked confused.

* * *

Happy stood in the doorway of the room the kids had been napping in. He had volunteered to check on them when he heard Mathew crying over the baby monitor.

"He likes it." Kristen explained to another little girl as she waved a plastic toy over her brother.

"He's still crying." The little girl said and struggled to reach over the side of the pack and play and wave a different toy.

"Did you girls wake him?" Happy finally spoke making his presence known.

"Grandpa!" Kristen abandoned the toy and ran to him. "He woke us grandpa." She explained and reached up so he would pick her up.

"Who's your friend?" Hap asked setting her down to fetch the crying baby.

"Suzie."

"Suzie you came here with your mom?" Hap asked quickly changing Mathew as he continued to cry.

"Uh huh." Suzie answered quietly.

Happy smiled, the girl was trying her damndest not to run and hide under the covers from him. "Well let's get you girls outside, you nearly missed dinner. Shhh little man." He comforted the baby.

"Oh honey!" Gabby leapt up as soon as Hap opened the door and she rushed to get her hungry infant. "You hungry little man?" She lifted him up and quickly shushed him though only for a moment. "Thanks dad."

"Girls, come get some food." Casper called over from the table. Kristen led her younger friend by the hand and headed toward her father.

"Changed his diaper, you got bottles in the fridge?"

"No, gonna nurse him." Happy put his hands up wanting no part of it and Gabby rolled her eyes and headed inside.

Hap watched Casper split a hamburger for the girls and helped them put what they wanted on it.

"When did we add another kid?" Chris asked coming up behind Hap.

Hap shrugged. "Comes in waves brother." He spotted Tig drinking in a corner and sighed.

"Didn't think he was coming to the meet this morning, said he had somewhere to be." Chris saw him as well. "I don't need shit going down here. He gonna be a problem?"

"Honestly don't know. I'll talk to him." Chris grunted and Hap headed over to the corner.

"Hap." Tig greeted and held up his beer in acknowledgment.

"What's up with you today? You weren't supposed to be at that meet." Hap asked sitting down.

"I've been trying Hap, but I don't think this whole family thing is gonna work."

Hap held in a stream of curses. "That's not what we agreed on." He glared at the man that couldn't look him in the eyes. "I told you, you either do this or you don't Tig. You ain't walking away from her again."

"She doesn't want to see me man. She won't talk to me. Her old man drove me off this morning. I can't force her to forgive me Hap."

"You gave me your word you wouldn't walk away again Tig. You got 29 years to make up for, it ain't gonna happen quick."


	3. Chapter 3

_For those of you who follow me on twitter thank you for all the well wishes. For those of you that don't, why not? Just kidding._

_I just got over a horrible case of the flu so I apologize in advance if this chapter is not up to par with the others. It wasn't a chapter I planned on writing, but my wonderful beta reminded me that what I consider as subtle shows up in my writing as basically nonexistent._

_Thank you for all the reviews follows and favs, I don't think I got back to many of you but I do appreciate them!_

_Special thanks to the freak circle and especially my wonderful beta, _EmeraldJewelSparkle_. I really don't know what I ever did without her._

**Set 3 months after chapter 2**

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2021

Age 29

Gabby kept a tight hold on Becky as she led the younger woman through the lot. It had taken three months to get her new friend to attempt another Friday night party but Gabby was going to make sure Becky didn't regret it. She had dressed the girl in tight jeans tall boots and a flattering halter top. Becky wasn't exactly thrilled with the outfit as she suddenly caught the attention of a few hang arounds sitting on the picnic tables outside the club house. She cringed at a whistle directed at the 2 women and ducked closer to Gabby.

"That was for you, right?" She asked the more experienced old lady.

Gabby laughed and tugged Becky to the door. "Honey, hang arounds don't whistle at me. They'd lose their lips." She let the remark hang out there as the two entered the clubhouse and were overtaken by patches. Becky lost sight of Gabby after she was engulfed by several out of town brothers Becky didn't know. She momentarily panicked and backed up to the bar.

"No hiding Becky." Vin laughed at her. "Over in the corner there." He shouted into her ear over the noise of the crowd and pointed. Becky grabbed the beer and nodded a thanks to him before pushing her way around a few large bikers. She resisted the urge to turn and yelp when a hand smacked her ass and ducked her head to plow through the crowd instead.

"Hey!" Tom Tom was suddenly in the crowd pushing at a brother with one hand; his other on Becky's back encouraging her to continue walking.

"Where's your escort?" Lenard was suddenly in front of Becky and clearing a path for her as well.

"Swallowed by the hoard at the front door." Becky looked back and couldn't even spot her friend.

"Right, Tacoma, Happy's longtime home, she'll get free eventually." Lenard filled her in and deposited her at a table with Bull and Shark.

"Becks! Damn can't believe you came." Shark leaned over and gave her a hug as Tom Tom returned to the table.

"She nearly got grouped by Donut." Tom Tom added as he sat back down.

"Gabby didn't mention there'd be extra guys here." Becky folded into herself covering whatever skin she could.

"Probably didn't know, they weren't supposed to be here till tomorrow, they're going on the AIDS run with us." Shark explained and took a swig from his drink to hide his grin. Becky was just too damn cute for him, completely lacked the biker gene. She pulled at his heart strings, had since the day he met her, but she was more like a little sister to him than a possible old lady, a fact that frustrated Gabby the matchmaker to no end.

Casper showed up and sat a handful of shot glasses on the table with a bottle of Jack. "Thought Gabby was bringing you here?" He gave Becky a bit of sideways look.

"She did…" Becky started

"She's in the hoard." Shark pointed with his beer bottle to the group of Tacoma brothers between the bar and the front door.

"Shit." Casper whispered under his breath and headed back over to them.

Shark leaned back in his chair and grinned at Tom Tom. "That boy is always one step behind his old lady." Tom Tom laughed and Becky smirked down into her lap.

"Hey!" Shark mockingly clapped his hands as Casper reemerged with Gabby over his shoulder.

"Ha ha." Gabby smacked the back of his head as soon as she was back on her feet. "It's amazing what having an old man gets you out of." She grinned and kissed Casper before looking down at the table. "Which one of you boys is gonna give me your seat?"

Shark laughed and got up to pull his seat out. Casper sat and pulled his old lady down into his lap. "You're welcome." Shark spat in Casper's face before getting flipped off. "Becky my dear…" Becky started to get up to give Shark her chair and he picked her up and settled her down in his lap in her chair same as Casper had.

Gabby smiled wide and pulled out her phone to take a picture. "Oh god." Becky blushed and squirmed to get off Shark's lap but he just laughed and held her tighter giving her cheek a kiss for the picture.

Tom Tom slammed his beer down and got up to yank a chair out from underneath a Tacoma prospect and pulled it over between himself and Shark. "Damn manners." Shark muttered and slid Becky into the extra chair.

Becky gave Tom Tom a coy smile as she settled next to him. Casper caught it and whispered into Gabby's ear. Bull caught it as well, along with the whisper and groaned. "Seriously? Fuck this." Casper looked up from his wife long enough to watch Bull storm off towards a few sweet butts.

Gabby chuckled and turned and whispered something back to Casper. "Care to let us in?" Shark asked, holding his beer up.

Gabby smiled at him and slipped into Bull's abandoned chair. "Just remarking on how cute you two look." Gabby answered eyeing her husband.

"Gabby." Becky tried to warn her off the subject.

"Just saying…"

"No. No we are not doing this again, I am not dating Becky. It's not gonna happen." Shark tried to put a stop to the conversation and poured a round of shots for the table. Gabby took a shot and slammed it down. Only then did Shark realize adding liquor to this equation was a bad idea.

"Tell me why." She challenged and handed Becky a shot across the table. Becky took the shot with trepidation and Tom Tom handed her his beer automatically before she even started to choke. She nodded a thank you as she handed it back, her hand still on her chest.

Shark took his own shot and poured another, slamming it as well. "Fine. You want my list?" He asked and Casper chuckled when Gabby clapped.

"The list, the list!" Gabby had heard Shark's list more than once, had parts of it memorized in fact, and knew that it was impossible and full of bull shit.

"Fine." Another round of shots was poured and drank before Shark went on. "My old lady." Shark spread his hands across his face as if he were revealing a sign. "Will not be related to anyone in the club, will not be a sweet butt. WILL be a biker chick, like and understand the club." Gabby nodded at Becky and Shark held up a hand. "Will be no more than six years younger than me." Gabby pouted, she was only five years younger than Shark but Becky was seven years younger than her.

"She will not have any plastic surgery; she will not dye her hair or wear fake nails. She will have at least a C cup. I want her thin, but curvy, like a medium, maybe a small if she's got hips, don't want a bony bitch. She will be between four and six inches shorter than me, none of that foot and half shit you two have." He pointed between Gabby and Casper.

"Eleven inches." Gabby corrected him. "And you're 6'1'' you want a girl 5'7'' to 5'9''?"

"No interrupting." Shark poured another round of shots but only the men took them. "She has to be smart, doesn't have to have college degree, but she needs some brains. And a good job, a career, but nothing she's too attached to. She has to stay home with the kids. I don't care if she has kids; I ain't picky, as long as they're young and the dad's not in the picture." Gabby rolled her eyes at the 'not picky' line and Becky silently chuckled.

"She…"

"Jesus, man shut up!" Tom Tom flicked a beer cap at him. "You ain't gonna find that."

"That's the point." Gabby spoke up. "See Shark here is actually afraid of losing his freedom to fuck anything with a pussy. So instead of giving up on love he created the perfect woman. He's never gonna find her, and he will have excuses for the rest of his life."

"Not true, okay look, you two are a perfect fit, I want my perfect fit. I don't want a string of ex-wives behind me, I want a soul mate." Shark defended himself.

"Oh don't you dare say soul mate. You said nothing about this girl's personality, sense of humor, morals, values, beliefs, family..." Becky counted down each one on her fingers.

"Exactly! See he doesn't have to actually get to know any of them because they aren't perfect physically, stops him from getting attached." Gabby bounced in her seat and pointed at Shark.

"I know what I want! Tom Tom, you know what you want." Shark tried to deflect the attention.

"Not a list man. Not like that shit." Tom Tom held up his hands not wanting to get involved.

"Let's hear it, come on." Casper banged his fit on the table and pulled Gabby back into his lap. She snaked a hand under his cut and slipped it up the back of his shirt.

"It's not really a list. I want a girl who's cool with the club. Someone who won't freak when I go on runs." Tom Tom shrugged. "Don't want a slut. Want a girl that hasn't been with half my brothers."

"See, that's totally respectable. Biggest fight between a brother and his old lady is about the club, avoid that and everything else can be dealt with." Gabby toasted him and took a shot, leading the rest to do the same.

"And no kids." Tom Tom added. "And doesn't want 'em." Becky looked down at her hands in her lap.

It was nearly an hour later that Gabby felt her phone buzz. It was a text from Charlene. 'You need to come pick up the kids, now.' Gabby furrowed her brow and reread the text twice before answering it; 'Okay, on my way, what's wrong?' She got no reply.

"I got to go; Charlene needs me to get the kids."

"Why?" Casper asked immediately and looked down at her phone.

"I don't know, she didn't say." She held the phone up to her ear and tried to call her but got no answer.

"You want me to come with you?" Casper offered.

"No, one of them probably got sick. Charlene has a puke aversion." She grabbed her jacket from the free chair and put it on. "Becky, I gotta go. Something's up with the kids."

"Oh…um, can you drop me off on the way?" Becky got up as well.

"It's the opposite direction. Casper?"

"Yeah, I'll get you home. You don't mind the bike, right?"

"I guess not." Becky shrugged and sat back down.

"Sorry. Enjoy yourself. Shark…" Gabby looked at him and nodded to Becky.

"I got you Becky." Shark smiled at her. "She'll have a great time." He rubbed her back. Tom Tom glared at him. He hated watching Shark feel Becky up.

* * *

Gabby parked in Charlene's driveway and glanced at her phone reading the text message again. She had called Charlene a total of 5 times since receiving it and got no reply. She looked around at the house and saw Ryan's car. She suddenly had a lump in her throat and wished she had accepted Casper's offer to come with her. She tucked her phone in her pocket and checked the gun in her purse to make sure it was loaded before hurrying out of the door up the front path and took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell.

"You couldn't have gotten here faster?" Charlene immediately snapped as she opened the door.

"I came straight here. I called you five times! What's going on, are they okay?" Gabby looked around the house for any sign her kids, or more likely Ryan had had a fit.

"I can't do this anymore." Charlene said and grabbed the kids' bags off the floor by the door.

"Can't do what anymore? Watch them for me? Were they bad?"

"No they were fine, they're sleeping. You need to get them."

"Okay, I will. Charlene tell me what's going on. Is it Ryan?" She asked but she knew the answer already. "I thought he was out of town."

"He's home now. He doesn't want them here. Or you. He was pissed."

"Look, I know he's not a fan of the club but you're not at the clubhouse. He has no right to tell you who you can and can't be friends with."

"It's just easier this way. I'll take the bags out. You get the kids."

"Charlene no. Stop for a second." Gabby grabbed Charlene's arm making her drop one of the bags. "What the hell has gotten into you? You're gonna stop seeing your best friend, your god kids, because it's easier than standing up for yourself?"

"It's not like that." Charlene defended herself. She glanced down the hall looking and listening for any clue that Ryan was listening to the fight.

"Then tell me what it's like. Do you not want to see me or the kids anymore?"

"I don't want anything to do with your club. I never have. You never wanted anything to do with it either. I remember a time when we were going to go away to college together. When we both wanted nothing to do with Charming or the club."

"Yeah, I know, I remember. But a lot of things happened between then and now. We both did go to college eventually and we both did leave Charming."

"But you're still consumed by that damn club!"

"That damn club? Jesus Charlene, I know that's Ryan talking, not you. You aren't at the club house. You aren't at my house with the guys. No one from the club is here, not even my husband. Don't tell me this is about the club. This is about Ryan."

"No it's not!"

"Then why did you volunteer to take the kids overnight when he was supposed to be out of town? What besides Ryan coming home has changed in the last four hours since I dropped the kids off?"

Charlene wouldn't meet Gabby's eyes as the two women stood in the hallway. "Just…just get your kids out of my house."

"Don't you see what he's doing Charlene? He's separating you from everyone close to you. He doesn't want you to have anyone else in your life. He's doing this to control you. Charlene, is he hurting you?"

"Is he hurting me? What? You don't like him so he must be abusive? Well your husband is an outlaw, is he abusive?" Charlene snapped.

"No, he's not. He also doesn't control who my friends are or make demands of me."

"Get out of my house." Charlene's bottom lip started to quiver. She was losing her resolve.

"I'll help you. I'll help you get away from him. Now, later, after all of this I will still help you." Gabby watched her friend try to hold on to her anger.

"I don't need your help." She seethed and charged out the front door with the kids' bags unable to listen to her friend's pleas.

Gabby ran up the stairs into the guest room and woke her daughter gently. "Kristen sweetie, we got to go. Come on, you gotta walk to the car and then you can sleep all the way home okay?"

"Mommy why? I want to stay."

"No sweetie, we're leaving, come on, be a good girl, I gotta carry your brother." Kristen nodded and got up clutching her stuffed bunny. Gabby gently picked up Mathew and carried him down the stairs.

"Mommy my shoes are gone." Kristen stopped at the door.

"They're in the car already. You can walk barefoot, it's okay." Gabby shifted Mathew so she would have a free hand and guided Kristen out of the house by her shoulder. She helped her into the already open door and left her to buckle herself in before going around to the other side for Mathew's car seat. Charlene was one step ahead of her and opened that door as well. Gabby set Mathew down in the car seat and left him unbuckled so she could catch Charlene as she headed back to the house.

"You're not even gonna say goodbye to them?" Charlene glanced at the kids in the back seat then back at Gabby shaking her head no. Gabby shook her own head and grabbed Charlene's arm so she couldn't leave. "I mean it Charlene, six months, a year, five years from now; if you need help I will help you."

Charlene ripped her arm out of Gabby's grasp and took a step away. "You or the guys show up here I'll call the cops." Gabby couldn't help but scoff but Charlene just turned and walked towards the house.

Gabby went back to the car and buckled Mathew into his car seat. Luckily he hadn't woken but Kristen was still wide awake and staring at her mother.

Gabby took her jacket off and covered Mathew before shutting his door. She pulled his blanket out of his bag Charlene had packed and put in the trunk and went back to Kristen and covered her as well before kissing her head.

"Charlene told me to tell you goodbye. She has to go out of town and she needed to leave right away." Gabby lied to her daughter. "Try to go back to sleep." She added before closing the door.

She sat behind the wheel and took a few breaths. Part of her wanted to go back in there and drag Charlene out by force. But she knew it wouldn't help. Charlene wouldn't leave Ryan until she was ready and trying to force her to might just drive her further into his arms. Besides, she couldn't do anything with the kids here. She wouldn't risk their safety, and she didn't want them to have to see or hear a fight. To this day Gabby still remembered everything and every word exchanged between Happy and her mother the day she came home from the hospital when she was eight.

She pulled out her phone and sent Casper a text message before pulling out of the driveway. She glanced back at the house and saw Charlene standing in the window watching her.

* * *

Casper sprung up from the couch when he saw head lights pull into the drive and jogged out to the garage. He jumped down the small staircase at the door and opened the driver's door as soon as Gabby stopped the engine.

Gabby climbed out of the car and immediately buried her face in her husband's chest. She had kept herself together until Kristen fell asleep and then she finally gave in to the urge to cry the rest of the way home.

"Gabby what happened?" Casper wrapped his hand in her hair and rubbed the other in circles on her back.

Gabby sniffled a few times and took a deep breath. "We need to get the kids in bed."

"Gabby…"

"I'll tell you…everything…just…we need to get them…"

"Okay, I will. You go inside." Gabby nodded and turned for the house.

Casper watched Gabby turn to go into the house, her shoulders were hunched and she hadn't bothered to even grab her purse or taken her keys out of the ignition. When she was inside he opened the back and took Kristen out first carrying her upstairs and settling her in bed thankful that she didn't wake up. When he got back to the garage Mathew was awake and crying and Casper rushed to him.

"Hey, hey little man, it's okay, dad's here. You're home. Dad's gonna put you in bed." Casper took his son out of the car and soothed him as he brought him in the house and up the stairs to his room. He made one more trip to the car retrieving the kids and his wife's things before finding his wife sitting on the kitchen counter drinking a glass of wine.

He laid her purse keys and jacket on the table and walked up to her picking up the now empty wine bottle. It had been new, the seal and cork screw still on the counter next to her. At least her glass looked full, she hadn't managed the entire bottle in the time he was gone.

"Gabby?" He stood in front of her resting his hands on either side of her on the counter, effectively trapping her. He hoped the wine would make this process easier.

"He's got her completely brain washed!"

"Ryan?" Casper caught on quickly.

"She was spouting all this bull shit that she was done with me and the kids because she didn't want to be associated with the club. It was bull shit. That piece of shit is controlling her." Gabby sloshed wine out of her glass onto her jeans and Casper took it away and blotted the stain with a towel, more so to think than because he cared about cleanliness.

"He came home, and all of a sudden my kids had to be out of the house. She wouldn't listen to reason; she's smarter than this Casper. What the hell is wrong with her?"

Casper stayed silent. He had to let Gabby say everything she had to say before he interrupted, it was one of the first things Happy had clued him in on.

"I can't lose her. She's my best friend. My best friend Casper. She was the only one that was always there for me. Always. She used to give me her clothes because my mother wouldn't buy me any. She shared her lunch with me every day. Do you know how many times I ran to her house in the middle of the night because mom brought another guy home? Jesus Casper I can't lose her. I can't. She was the only one there for me. The only one when my mom died. The only one that came to the house, she took me to the funeral home; she sat with me the whole time they cremated…" Gabby's voice broke as she let out a sob and Casper moved his hands to her waist giving her a reassuring squeeze.

"I can't let him hurt her. I can't." She finally gave up talking and just cried, allowing Casper to pull her into his chest.

"Do you know that he's hurting her?" Casper asked. Casper loved Charlene like a sister. Though she had been away at college while he had dated Gabby he met her a few times, and it was clear how close the two were. He had always hated Ryan and over examined every nuance of the relationship he was let in on looking for any sign of physical abuse. It wasn't there, emotional abuse no question, mental abuse definitely, but as far as he knew Ryan had never laid a hand on her. But the relationship certainly had the potential.

She pulled away and glared at him.

"Gabby, love, I hate the guy as much as you do. I'll get on my bike and go there now, beat the fucking shit out of him if he laid a hand on her. But if she doesn't want help she's not gonna leave him. We have BOTH begged her to. She's convinced this guy is her everything. As wrong as we know it is we can't tell her who to love."

"She said she'd call the cops if any of you…or me… showed up." She pushed him away and hopped off the counter. Casper backed up to give her space but she only reached for the wine he had set aside and drained the glass. Only his wife chugged wine. Fuck.

"Gabby." He took the empty glass and set it in the sink. "Gabby, come on, come upstairs. Lay down with me."

"I'm not drunk." She shoved his hands off of her and backed up.

"I know you're not drunk. It takes a hell of a lot more than one bottle of wine to get you drunk. You're tired and upset. There's nothing we can do tonight. Okay? Come up stairs with me. Please love."

Gabby let Casper half drag her up the stair and into the bedroom. He stripped her down and sat her down on the bed, sitting behind her to rub her shoulders.

"She knows you care. She knows you'll do anything to help her. If you go in there kicking and screaming you'll drive her further away. Give her some space. Hope that when she doesn't have you to vent to she'll let that anger build up until she breaks up with him." Casper spoke calmly to his wife as he felt her start to relax.

"What if he hurts her? You don't know what that's like Casper. Your home is supposed to be safe." Gabby whispered and Casper closed his eyes to block out the visions that always popped in his head when she said things like that about her childhood.

"I don't hope that it will happen. But it may be the push she needs to wake up and walk out." Casper kissed his wife's shoulder and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her back into him again. "I love you." He whispered into her ear.

"Love you too." She answered and held on to his arms pulling them tighter around her.

* * *

"Yo!" Shark nocked on Gabby and Casper's front door.

"Uncle Shark is here!" Kristen yelled as she opened the door. "Uncle Shark can I go with you?" Kristen wasn't shy as she jumped up on Shark and he caught her and carried her inside the house.

"Sorry munchkin, no babe's on the ride. But your momma is gonna take you to the clubhouse to see us off, that will be fun."

"No…we're not going." Kristen pouted and hung tightly on to Shark as they got to the kitchen and he tried to put her down.

"Why not?" As far as Shark knew plans hadn't changed and Gabby was bringing the kids to the clubhouse to see off the charity riders.

Kristen shrugged and again pouted as Shark put her down. "Daddy said he's not going, and mommy is sick."

"Your mom is sick?"

"Kristen, go check on your brother, in the living room please." Casper came into the room and scooted his daughter out.

"Gabby's sick?" Shark asked him.

Casper blew out a breath. "I need to stay here and look after the kids, Gabby's not up to it." Casper and Gabby had agreed last night not to contact Charlene but they never got to a discussion on how to tell the rest of the club.

"She's not sick." Shark read his brother well and looked at him pointedly.

"No, she's not sick. It's a family thing."

"And suddenly I'm not family?" Shark stepped closer and Casper ran a hand through his hair.

"Look, it's complicated. It's not my place to talk about it. You're just gonna have to hang tight for a couple days."

"Like fuck." Shark threw at him and walked out of the kitchen and jogged up the stairs. He had no qualms about going into Casper and Gabby's bedroom, decency be damned.

He knocked on the door but pushed it open without waiting for an answer. Gabby was dressed in yoga pants and a t shirt sitting cross legged on the bed. Her hair was a wild mess, frankly the way Shark preferred it and he cracked a smile.

"Wicked case of bed head there Gabs. So what's this news you haven't felt like sharing?" He walked right in and leaned on a dresser crossing his arms and his ankles.

Gabby looked up from a picture she was holding and Shark's breath caught at the pure hurt across her face. "Charlene."

"Is she okay?" Shark got up from his perch and sat on the edge of the bed. From the look on Gabby's face her best friend may have died.

"She's… yeah. She's fine. Not hurt anyway."

"You two have a fight? Didn't she have the kids last night?" Shark started putting two and two together; Gabby had left the party early to get the kids, the kids that Charlene was supposed to be watching all night and bringing to the clubhouse this morning to be a part of the sendoff.

"Charlene's not gonna be coming around." Gabby put the picture down and Shark picked it up. It was of Gabby and Charlene as teenagers. Gabby was smoking and had a fat lip; Charlene was drinking in another man's lap, his eyes aimed down her shirt.

"Ryan." Shark put the picture down and looked back at Gabby. "Jesus, did he hurt her?"

"No. I don't think so. She…picked him over me. He doesn't want her talking to me."

"Doesn't want her around the club." Shark finished. Gabby nodded. "Gabby…"

"I'll be fine Shark. I'm just…still absorbing all this. Take Casper. He doesn't need to stay here. I got the kids."

"Hun Casper's not leaving. You know that. I'll go, I'll cover for him. Don't worry about it. I won't tell anyone. But they're gonna notice, they're gonna ask questions. Gabby they're gonna want to step in and handle this." He squeezed her hand and she gave him a small smile.

"I just need to tell Hap alone. Then I can tell everyone else."

"Hap?" Shark tried to think back to any kind of bond Happy and Charlene had.

Gabby chuckled at Shark's perplexed look. "Hap's known Charlene nearly as long as he's known me. You might not think it, but he's a sentimental motherfucker."

Shark laughed hard at that and got up from the bed kissing Gabby's cheek. "Love you; call me if you need anything. ANYTHING, I'd love to pound that guy."

"Thanks." She reached up and squeezed the hand he had resting on her shoulder. Shark nodded once and headed back down the stairs where Casper was waiting.

Shark looked at him and shook his head. "Part of me wants to say fuck it and go kill the bastard." Casper admitted and Shark blew out a breath.

He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. "Count me in if you do. I gotta get going. You call in?"

"Chris knows I ain't coming."

"What you tell him? Gabby said not to say anything till she tells Hap."

"Told him a family thing came up last night and I couldn't make it. He saw us both leave the party, he got it. Betting Vivica will be showing up soon as you all pull out." Shark smiled at that, Vivica was nosey as they came, but she butted in to help, not just out of curiosity.

* * *

With all the extra patches milling around the lot Shark didn't think Casper's absence would even be noticed. He should have known better. He at least should have thought of the fact that the guys would notice Gabby and the kids not here. Hard to miss the kids not getting passed around from brother to brother. A day without sweet butts made them the life of the party, hell even when there were sweet butts those kids still took center stage.

Shark saw Happy in the corner on the phone trying to find a quiet place to talk. He snapped his phone closed in frustration and looked around the lot, meeting Shark's eyes. Shark swallowed as the Tacoma Killer walked toward him with a determined stride.

"You go there this morning?" Happy started in.

"Umm, where, here?" Shark pointed down to the ground.

"Where are they?" Happy ripped off his sunglasses and got in Sharks face.

"Casper isn't coming. Some family thing." Shark started to walk off and Happy grabbed his arm and pulled him back. Hard.

"Family thing?" Hap spat out.

"Umm, they…she…"

"FUCK." Hap let go of his arm and walked into the chapel. He exchanged a few words with Chris before the president nodded his head and Happy stormed out of the clubhouse to his bike.

"Hap?" Vin jogged over, "we aren't leaving yet."

"Got something to do." Hap answered and rode off the lot making Vin jump back out of his way.

"Jesus fucking Christ." Shark rubbed his arm and took a deep breath.

Chris spotted him and walked over. "Something I need to know about?"

"What?" Shark was kicking himself. He was Casper's best friend, why did he assume people would not come straight to him?

"This gonna bite me in the ass?" Chris asked instead.

"No…no umm, no." Shark answered. Chris shook his head and went back to the chapel.

* * *

_twitter: kiara8921_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Wow, the Charlene stuff last chapter got a lot of reaction. So let me come right out and say, we are not picking up right after the end of the last chapter. It is roughly a year later. The club knows what went down with Charlene but nothing has been done about it. But do not fear; Charlene WILL be back. It will just take a few chapters to come around again._**

**_A special thank you to the freak circle, and to _****EmeraldJewelSparkle****_ my beta, you guys have no idea how much better this story is because of her. Of course any typos are my own, i'm in a hurry posting this before work and it's all i can do to put my line breaks in. When I write I use PPPPPPPPPPP lol. so if there's any in here..._**

_**Check me out on twitter kiara8921**_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

"Grandpa can we do a puzzle when we get home?" Happy glanced in the rearview mirror of his cage. He never foresaw himself becoming the doting grandfather that picked the kids up afterschool but he had slipped into the role easily, on his own without being asked, and truly enjoyed it.

"After you do your homework." Happy reminded her enforcing his daughter's only rule. She had gone back to work part time once Kristen had started grade school and put Mathew into daycare at the recovery center she worked at.

"Daddy's home!" Kristen yelled when they turned onto her street and saw a bike in the driveway.

"No sweetie, Daddy's still in Arizona. That's not his bike." Happy held in a groan when he got closer and recognized the dyna. He parked next to it and pulled out his prepay.

"Youth counseling, this is Gabby." She answered her work phone.

"Hey sweetheart. Just got to your place, Tig's here." Happy got out of the car and opened the back door to let Kristen out.

"Shit, he's early. Charming was headed to Arizona; Tig asked if he could stop in and see the kids on the way." Gabby spoke and he could hear paper's shuffling. "I finished the late intake. I just need to put the insurance claim in. I'll only be another half an hour or so."

"That's fine. I got Kristen we're good."

"Dad?" She called as he went to hang up.

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"You're gonna stay there, right? I don't…Kristen doesn't know Tig that well." It wasn't really accurate to say she didn't trust Tig alone with either of her children, she knew Tig would never be inappropriate with them like he had been with her, and he would die himself before letting them get hurt. But years of being outright scared of Tig as a child and more so as a teenager still left her with an uncomfortable knot in her stomach when it came to Tig.

"I'm not going anywhere Gabs." Happy assured her before hanging up.

"That's not a Fresno bike." Six year old Kristen accurately stated from looking at the art on the bike. She took Happy's hand automatically so he could walk her up the driveway.

"It's Uncle Tig's bike. You remember him right?"

"Yes, he's from Charming. Are Able and Thomas here?" She got excited.

"No sweetie, just Tig this time." Happy looked around for him but couldn't find him and unlocked the front door to let Kristen inside.

"Tig!" He shouted as Kristen plopped down on the floor to take her shoes off.

"Uncle Tig!" Kristen yelled twice as loud when Happy got no answer.

"Maybe he went to the store. " Hap said out loud though he didn't believe Tig would walk to the corner. "You hungry?" Hap asked as Kristen went directly to the kitchen and set her book bag on the table.

"Yeah…" Kristen went to the fridge and pulled out a new bag of celery. Happy waited patiently as she stuck a near foot long celery stalk into a two inch tall container of vegie dip. "Grandpa?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Can you make these smaller?" Happy grinned and smoothed his hand over his granddaughter's crazy hair as he grabbed a steak knife and started chopping up an afternoon snack. "Uncle Tig is on the swing set." Kristen said as she opened the back patio door. "Uncle Tig!" She yelled out while Happy put her snack on the table.

Tig's head shot up from his phone and he jumped of the swing he had claimed while he waited. Kristen left the door open for him and returned to the kitchen table to eat her snack.

"Tig." Happy greeted him at the door and closed and locked it behind him.

"Hap, hey. I didn't think you'd be here." Tig hugged his brother and looked around the kitchen for Gabby.

"Gabs got stuck at work she'll be 30 minutes or so." Hap answered Tig's non question.

"Grandpa picked me up from school. He usually picks me up on Thursdays. We're gonna do a puzzle, will you help us?" Kristen rambled away to Tig as she chomped on celery and swung her legs under the table. Kristen was friendly with anyone wearing a cut whether she had ever met them or not. But if anyone outside of the club spoke to her she would immediately bury her head in her mother's leg.

Tig smiled at the girl and sat down next to her. "I'd love to help you doll."

Happy reached into her book bag and pulled out Kristen's homework folder. It astounded him that kids got homework so young these days. Or maybe they always had, it's not like he had ever done his at any age.

"Forgetting something?" Happy held up the folder and Kristen pouted for a moment before swallowing what was in her mouth.

"I only have spelling words. I know them all, I promise grandpa." She got up and put her plate in the sink.

"Come on Hap, I can quiz her while we do the puzzle." Tig grabbed the folder and got up from the table.

"Yay!" Kristen yelped and jumped up and down before grabbing Tig's free hand. "Come on Uncle Tig, we can do the puzzle in the living room."

* * *

Gabby came through the garage door with Mathew on one hip and her and his bags on the other. "Hello!" She called out but no one answered her. "Okay Mathew, where do you think everybody went?" She talked to her son.

"Sissy." He said back, and Gabby smiled. He'd started calling Kristen sissy about three months ago. They weren't sure if he was trying to say sister or sweetie.

"Yes my boy. We seem to be missing sissy." Gabby set the bags down in the hallway and put Mathew down on the living room floor.

"Mommy!" Gabby heard and turned to watch her daughter jump off a swing and come running full speed inside the house followed by Happy and Tig.

"Hi sweetie. Did you behave for grandpa?" Gabby squatted down to talk to her daughter face to face.

"Yes mommy, and Uncle Tig. He helped me with my spelling words and did a puzzle with me and pushed me on the swing." Kristen recited every event of the afternoon for her mother.

Gabby glanced quickly at Tig over Kristen's head and he smiled at her. "Oh yeah? What puzzle did you do?"

"We did the princess tea party puzzle. Uncle Tig said it was hard because everything was pink but it's not that hard."

Gabby smirked and stood up. "Sounds like you and Uncle Tig had a busy afternoon. Go put your puzzle away so your brother doesn't start taking the pieces. Do you want to help me in the kitchen?"

"Yes! Uncle Tig it's meatless Monday!" Kristen spoke to him while running into the living room and putting the puzzle away. "Are you gonna stay and eat with us? Grandpa doesn't usually stay for dinner on meatless Monday's. Uncle Shark usually comes over but he went to Arizona with daddy and all the other guys. Grandpa and Uncle Lenard stayed here though. Mommy! Is Uncle Lenard coming over for dinner?" Kristen finally stopped talking as she slid the puzzle box under the couch.

Tig looked completely confused after hearing the one sided conversation. He looked at Happy blankly but got no help from the man as Hap picked up his grandson who was pulling at his cut with calls of "pa up pa up."

"Grandpa." Happy sounded out slowly as he settled Mathew in his arms.

"Gra-pa."

"Grandpa."

"Gra-pa"

Tig had to choke back a mouthful of regret as he watched the two together and finally left them in favor of the kitchen.

"Uncle Lenard isn't coming over sweetie, and Uncle Tig has to get going to Arizona."

"I don't like Arizona." Kristen pouted.

"Kristen you've never been to Arizona. It's Tucson's 35 year anniversary as a charter, daddy and the others went to celebrate."

"An-a-verse-a-ry?" Kristen tried to repeat and Tig and Gabby both smiled at how cute it was.

"Like a birthday sweetie, the Tucson charter turns 35 this year." Her mother explained the new word.

"Is grandpa gonna leave too?" Kristen asked as Gabby pointed to the sink for her to wash her hands.

"Nope, grandpa's staying here." Happy came in and assured his granddaughter, carry Mathew on his hip.

"Too old for the ride Hap?" Tig teased and the men were instantly chest to chest in a stare down.

"You two are not fighting in MY house in front of MY kids. Dad, back off. Tig, Chris asked Lenard and Hap to stay behind or they would already be there. You're the one that sidetracked from the rest of your charter." Gabby stepped up and put a hand on each of their chests.

Happy glanced at Kristen who had frozen with her hands under the running water and was staring at the men. He backed up immediately, Mathew still on his hip, and walked around the kitchen island and turned off the water.

"It's alright sweetie, we weren't really gonna fight." Hap assured her and kissed the top of her head.

Gabby continued to stare at Tig. "Hallway, now." She demanded and pulled Tig by the front of his cut to the front door, out of earshot of the kitchen.

"I get what you're doing Tig. I know what you want and that you don't know how to get it, but that" she pointed to the kitchen, "was the wrong way."

Tig started to speak, after all he had only made the comment, Happy had been the one to take offense and want to fight.

"No, I'm not done yet." Gabby interrupted him. "You want to come over here, have some kind of a relationship with my kids, that's fine. You want to get to know me, great. But nothing you do now will make up for what happened. I've barely forgiven you, I will never forget."

Tig nodded his head but wisely kept quiet. "You abandoned me. And more than just walk away you denied I was even yours, and then you proceeded to make my life a living hell. Happy is the one that stepped up. He raised me, he took care of me, he loved me. Happy is my father, and those kids grandfather, not you. He is a huge part of my life and if you expect to be around more you need to get used to it. We both know which one of you I would pick if it came down to it."

"I'm sorry. I understand." Tig looked down at the floor instead of looking into her eyes.

"Kristen would like you to stay for dinner. If you think you can behave yourself you are welcome to do so."

"Yes I will. I'd like to stay."

Gabby nodded her head once and left Tig at the door to return to the kitchen. Happy eyed his daughter as she came back into the room. She didn't appear to be upset or crying. He met her eyes and she gave him a small smile.

"Stay? I'll make you meat." She said quietly to him and smoothed her hand over Mathews head.

"You need me I'm here sweetheart." He whispered back and kissed the top of her head.

"You ready to help me cook sweetie?" She turned back to her daughter.

"Yes, hands clean!" She showed them to her mother to emphasize. "What are we making?"

"Veggie calzones." Her eyes rested on Tig briefly as he walked back into the room. "I'm gonna cut up the veggies and layout the dough and you can fill them all, okay?" Gabby tried to involve Kristen in cooking now that she was older. She laid out a baking sheet and dough before grabbing a range of veggies out of the fridge.

"Why don't you make a special one for each person and ask them what they want." She gave Kristen a job to do while she chopped up the veggies.

"What do we have?" Kristen stood on her stool watching her mother.

"You tell me."

"Peppers, mushrooms, onion, and tomato. I know what grandpa likes, he wants everything but tomatoes. I want everything. Uncle Tig, what do you want on your calzone?"

"Everything except mushrooms." Tig answered and started clearing the table.

"That's what mommy likes on hers too. Mommy is Mathew gonna eat a calzone?" Kristen asked as she sprinkled cheese on the dough.

"No sweetie, he's just gonna have veggies and cheese that he can pick up. Add a spoonful or so of pasta sauce in each one." Gabby helped Kristen finish. "Do you know who's is who's?"

"Yes, but I'm gonna carve initials on them." Gabby snatched the knife before Kristen could grab it and handed her a fork.

"Alright, 20 minutes. Did you do all your homework?"

"Yes, it was just spelling words cause we have a test tomorrow."

"And the math flashcards you're supposed to do every day?" Gabby gave her daughter a stern look. She wasn't all that stern with her daughter, but living a club life stability and schedules weren't the norm. She tried her best to put structure into her kid's lives when she could.

Kristen let out an exaggerated sigh and ran up the stairs to her room. Gabby laughed at Hap as he stared at the ceiling and shook his head at the thunderous noise such a small child could make.

"Can you do those with her while I change?" Gabby asked Happy.

"I can." Tig offered.

"Alright, she can't do them on the swing set." Gabby warned and then disappeared up the stairs.

"Math facts." Kristen yelled as she slid in her socks into the kitchen.

"Uncle Tig's gonna do math with you." Happy informed her as he set Mathew down to crawl around.

"Uncle Tig come on, we can do math facts on the swing set." Kristen grabbed his hand and tried pulling him towards the patio door.

Tig couldn't help but laugh as Hap let out a warning filled "Kristen."

"Or we can do them in the living room." Kristen rolled her eyes and yanked Tig's arm in a different direction.

* * *

"Why couldn't Uncle Tig stay and read me a bedtime story?" Kristen asked Gabby as her mother dried her hair before letting her change into her pajamas.

"Because Uncle Tig had to go to Arizona and you still had to take your bath before bed." Gabby stood up and hung the towel on the hook. "Arms up."

Kristen shimmied into her nightgown and brushed her teeth.

"Is he out?" Gabby peeked into Mathew's room where her father was putting him down.

"Waiting for you." The two adults' switched places and Gabby said goodnight to her son while Hap got Kristen in bed and read her a story.

"Thanks for staying dad. Putting them down is easier with two people."

"Sure thing. How you doing with Tig's visit?" Hap walked his daughter downstairs and they settled on the couch.

"I don't know. Part of me keeps thinking it would be so much easier if he'd just go AWOL again. I'm waiting for the day Kristen or Mathew start asking why he comes all the way from Charming to see them, or why we look alike, or…"

"What will you tell them?" Happy cut off her ramble.

"I don't know. The truth would be confusing depending on how old they are. But if I lie to them now and then they find out later on…"Gabby trailed off at a creek and both adults waited for Kristen to slowly make her way into the room.

"Mommy?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"If daddy calls will you let me talk to him?" Kristen crawled up into her mother's lap. "Or can we call him?"

"You miss him?" Kristen nodded and hugged her raggedy stuffed bunny close to her chest. "Daddy isn't gonna call sweetie, he knows when your bedtime is. He's too busy right now to answer the phone."

"When is daddy coming home?" Kristen tucked herself further into her mother in an attempt not to be sent back to her room.

"The day after tomorrow."

"The day after?"

"Yes." Gabby scratched Kristen's back. "Tomorrow is Tuesday and the day after is Wednesday. But you know what? Tomorrow Becky and Suzie are going to come over for dinner."

"Really?" The little girl suddenly brightened up.

"Yup, you think you can sleep now?"

"Can I stay out here with you and grandpa?" Happy shrugged, he didn't mind his granddaughter wanting to spend time with him, he loved it in fact. It would mean the end of their Tig conversation however.

"How about you go back to bed and listen to daddy tell you a story."

"Okay!" Happy gave Gabby a quizzical look as Kristen scrambled out of her mother's lap. "Will you carry me mommy?"

"Oh sweetie." Gabby started to bend down and pick up her rather tall lanky six year old daughter but Happy stopped her.

"Grandpa will carry you sweetie." Hap swept her up and carried her back to bed followed by Gabby. He watched her duck in her bedroom and come back out with some electronic.

"Okay Kristen." Gabby sat down on the side of the bed and turned on whatever was in her hand. "What story do you want?"

"Little Mermaid, no! The Boy Who Cried Wolf." Kristen hugged her bunny tight to her chest and jumped a bit in bed.

"Alright, under the covers. Here you go." Kristen settled and Gabby kissed her forehead before handing her the gadget and turning off the lights.

"What is that thing?" Hap asked as he pulled the door closed.

"An Ipad, Casper recorded himself reading a bunch of stories on it for the kids. Said he knew there would be nights he couldn't come home and he didn't want them thinking he didn't love them."

"He's a real good dad." Hap mumbled as he followed Gabby down the stairs once more.

"Did you have doubts?" Gabby turned to face him as they reached the landing.

"I've seen many a man in this life freak out and not be able to handle being a father."

Gabby sat back down on the couch and waited for Hap to settle down next to her. "Did you ever struggle with it?"

"I could have done a lot better." He confessed and squeezed her hand.

"Everyone could do better." Gabby reassured him. "I really don't think you realize how much you did for me."

"I always knew I could do better, it wasn't till Kristen that I realized how much more I could have done." Gabby furrowed her brow and egged him on to explain himself. "How happy she is compared to you, how innocent she is. You had seen so much by her age now, been through so much. I never played with you, I never in my life read to you."

"Dad, it wasn't your job to play with me. I never expected you to. The fact that you cared enough to show up meant more to me than any bedtime story could have."

Happy sat silent for a bit. Nothing he could do and nothing she could say would ever alleviate all of his guilt.

"So Tig…" He finally broke the silence.

"What about Tig?" Gabby tried to avoid the previous topic and Happy scoffed.

"You okay with him getting to know the kids?" Gabby simply shrugged. "You know it's up to you. If you don't want him around Casper or I will talk to him.

"He wants to get to know his family. He's 30 years late doing it, but at least he wants too."

"Kristen seems to like him."

"Kristen likes anyone in a cut."

"What did you two talk about in the hall?"

"That he needs to behave himself, and he needs to respect that you have a permanent place here in this family. Told him I'd always choose you first."

Hap smiled slightly and nodded his head. "You two ever talk about what happened?"

"We both know what happened." Gabby cut him off.

"Gabs."

"Not really. Not like an in depth conversation on why. He's sorry, he screwed up."

"You deserve an explanation Gabby."

"I think we've mutually decided to just ignore it." Gabby shrugged again.

"You're more like him then you know." He pulled her closer and she rested her head on his shoulder.

* * *

"So?" Gabby egged Becky on as they set the table with an occasional glance out the window to the kids on the swing set.

"Not good. Lawyer said since I didn't put his name on the birth certificate I have to prove paternity." Becky was attempting to get child support from Suzie's father and so far it wasn't going well.

"So the judge ordered a paternity test?"

"No. He has to get one voluntarily. And the lawyer warned me IF I get him to take the test and prove he's the father I might have to give him visitation if I go for child support."

"Which you don't want him to have, and he doesn't want."

"So basically I have to walk up to my ex and beg him to take a test to prove he's the father of a kid he never wanted and walked away from, so he can help pay for her. And in return the only thing I have to offer him is visitation which I know he doesn't want. So no money for Becky!"

"I'm sorry honey." Gabby sighed and looked out the window at the girl she had grown to love over the past year. "What if you brought her with you? Make him acknowledge her, look at her."

"I don't think it would faze him. And I wouldn't want to expose her to him. He had a temper. If he loses it and starts screaming and swearing in front of her…" Becky shook her head and sat down in a kitchen chair.

"I could go with you, take her away if it gets to that point." Gabby offered sitting down next to her.

Becky rested her head in her hand. "I'm done. I can't. I can't deal with this anymore."

Gabby reached over and rubbed Becky's back. "I've got good news." Becky picked her head up slightly. "Boys are coming home tomorrow." Gabby bumped Becky's side. "Tom Tom will be home tomorrow."

Becky glared at Gabby but Gabby only grinned. "Tom Tom and I are not a thing." Becky clarified. "He's with Karen.

"Beck's he's 'with' Karen on and off more than my basements lights." Becky cracked a smile but stifled her laugh. "You two totally have a thing, a cute thing."

"Maybe if I didn't have Suzie. But it's not like that's an option." Becky dropped her head back down in her hands. Gabby had watched Becky and Tom Tom flirt since Gabby had first started bringing Becky around. Becky was smart enough not to fool around with him just for the sake of being with a Son. She always put her daughter first. Ironically Shark was in love with Suzie and was always good to Becky, but he had no romantic feelings for her, he was convinced she was too young for him. Tom Tom seemed to really like Becky but every time Suzie was around he would back off.

"You heard from Charlene?" Becky attempted to change the subject.

"Not since Ryan's fit. I doubt Casper would allow her back in the house without proof the man was dead."

"I can't believe he forbid Charlene from speaking with you." Becky shook his head.

"I can't believe Charlene listened to him. I still wonder if he's hitting her. There's no way a guy like that put's demands on his girlfriend and doesn't hurt her." Gabby shook her head. She had true fears for her best friend's safety but there was nothing she could do when Charlene refused to see or speak to her and she had no proof of abuse.

"So the ex…" Gabby steered the conversation back to the beginning.

"So dinner." Becky stood up and walked back to the stove.

* * *

Gabby Vivica and Becky sat on a picnic table waiting for the guys to arrive home. They had been gone nearly a week for Tucson's anniversary party and neither of the old ladies were naive enough to think it had just been a party. Hell if it had been they probably would have been invited down for the celebration.

"Why is she staring at me?" Becky leaned over and asked Gabby about the sweet butt currently pouting because Happy walked away from her when his grandkids arrived on the lot.

Vivica snorted as she tried to hold in a laugh and Gabby smiled wide. "What?" Becky asked as both women started to laugh.

"Looks like somebody got on the sweet butt radar." Gabby teased and Becky looked around the lot wide eyed.

"What the hell did I do to them? I'm not with any of the guys!" She asked panicked as bikes started pulling into the lot.

Vivica and Gabby greeted their old men with long kisses before the kids started running into the crowd.

"Hey Becky." Tom Tom walked up and looked her up and down.

"Welcome back." Becky gave him a shy smile.

"You look better every time I see you girl." Tom Tom stepped closer and licked his lips.

"Think you've been on the road to long." Becky teased.

"Mommy look what Casper got me!" Suzie ran up with a stuffed animal and showed it to her mother.

Becky watched Tom Tom walk away as she knelt down to her daughter. "That's really neat, did you thank him?"

"Yes, he got them for Kristen and Mathew too!" Becky smiled at her daughter and picked her up. She glanced in the direction Tom Tom had gone and saw Happy say something to him as he looked at Becky. Tom Tom glanced at her, shrugged his shoulders, and held an arm out to the sweet butt from earlier.

"Hey Becks!" Shark called to her as he jogged over.

"Hey Shark." Becky smiled at him.

"Suzie come here baby girl." Shark reached out and took the little girl out of her mother's arms. "You miss me Suzie?" He asked after giving her a big wet kiss on the cheek.

"Yes." She answered and threw her arms around his neck.

Shark automatically carried the girl into the clubhouse not bothering to ask for permission. "Did I miss anything fun?" He asked the young girl as they got inside.

"No, well, Auntie Gabby picked me up from daycare yesterday and we all went to a waterpark. And then we came home and had tacos."

"Well that sounds like fun." Shark grabbed a juice box and a beer and sat on a barstool with Suzie in his lap.

"It was…" Suzie trailed off and drank from her juice box.

"Did something happen baby girl?" Shark grew concerned and took the juice box away.

"No, the water park was fun." Suzie hugged her new stuffed animal close. "Uncle Casper brought me home a cat. He got Kristen a new bunny and he got Mathew a bear."

Shark smirked and ran a finger down Suzie's cheek. "Suzie baby, you didn't answer my question."

"Mommy was fighting with someone on the phone. And yesterday she was crying after she put me to bed." Suzie started to play with her new cat and Shark handed her back her juice box.

Tom Tom who had been eavesdropping shifted the sweet butt off his lap and stood up to catch Shark's eye. Shark saw him and slowly nodded his head a few times. They both looked at the clubhouse door as it opened and the rest of the brothers came piling in followed by the three women.

"There's my sweet girl." Becky smiled and picked her daughter up out of Shark's lap.

"Uncle Shark gave me a juice box mommy."

"Uncle Shark loves to give you sugar, doesn't he." Becky teased Shark and he rolled his eyes in jest.

"You like your surprise baby girl?" Casper asked Suzie.

"I love her!" Suzie hugged her stuffed cat closer.

"You give her a name yet?" He asked.

Suzie thought hard for a second and looked at the cat. "Can I name her angel?"

"You can name her whatever you want baby, she's yours."

"Thank you Casper." Becky thanked her friend's husband. "You want me to take the kids for the night?" She offered.

"No been looking forward to putting these rascals to bed." Casper adjusted Mathew who was sitting on his hip.

"Alright then, I'm gonna get going." Gabby leaned in and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks for coming out." Since Becky wasn't technically with any of the patches she wasn't required or expected at any club event. But she and Suzie had become a fixture around the clubhouse and if she didn't show up for a while more than just Tom Tom and Shark would start asking about her.

Shark and Tom Tom waited until the door shut behind Becky to practically pounce on Gabby.

"What happened to Becky?" Tom Tom got out before Shark.

"Nothing, why?" Gabby gave him a weird look as she headed to the kitchen to get her kids milk.

"Suzie said she was fighting with someone on the phone." Tom Tom followed her; Casper looked to Shark for an explanation.

"Said she was crying too." Shark added, more focused on getting answers than giving them.

"Guy's, Becky's personal life is Becky's personal life." Gabby handed Casper a Sippy cup for Mathew and moved around the crowd of three men now following her to find Kristen.

"Love, what personal life?" Casper was now confused and slightly worried about the woman he now considered a friend if not a near sister.

"I'm not doing this Casper. You want answers call Becky." She walked across the room to where Kristen was showing Vin pictures she had painted in school.

"Sweetie why don't you save those for later." She tried to save Vin but he waved her off. Gabby shrugged to herself and set milk down for her daughter.

She walked back to her husband and Mathew reached out to her so she took him. "What is he doing?" Gabby saw Shark scrolling through the contacts on his phone. "Shark do not call her!"

"Then tell me what the hell is going on." Shark demanded.

Chris heard Shark yelling and came over to the group. "What's going on?"

"Can you take him?" Casper asked and pulled Mathew out of Gabby's arms.

"Yeah, come here Matt." Chris took the boy and walked over to Vin who was watching the exchange.

"What's going on Gabby?" Casper demanded. Gabby hadn't heard that tone of voice out of her husband since he nearly shot Ryan for cutting Charlene off from them. The women may be Gabby's friends' but Casper considered them both like sisters, and his kids loved them both like blood.

Gabby sighed. "Becky talked to a lawyer about Scott."

"Who the hell is Scott?" Tom Tom was instantly ready to go after the man.

"Suzie's dead beat dad." Casper filled in with a quick glance. If he hadn't been so concerned he would have found Tom Tom's interest amusing.

"She's trying to get child support…" Shark realized.

"He has to voluntarily take a paternity test for her to get anything. And if he does he's allowed to ask for visitation." Gabby filled in. She saw Shark holding in a rant and held a hand up. "He doesn't want to see her. But he certainly isn't gonna pay for her willingly either. Becky's just stressed. The bills are coming in from Suzie getting her tonsils out and Becky can't pay."

Casper let out a huge sigh and ran a hand threw his hair.

"She found him? Where is he? Scott?" Tom Tom asked. Shark glanced at him and saw the intent in his eyes.

Gabby looked at all three men. "This is Becky's issue. She wants to handle it on her own. When she asks me for help I'll tell you that his name is Scott Harriman and he's a lieutenant in the Navy and that he's in San Diego right now on the USS Halsey." She knew she was probably crossing a line but she was already unable to help her oldest best friend, she wasn't gonna not help her newest if she had the resources.

"Casper?" Tom Tom immediately looked at his brother.

"On it." He answered already playing with his smart phone.

"We're gonna need the van." Shark threw in as he followed Tom Tom to the door.

Casper kissed his wife's cheek and followed the other two men.

"Where the hell are they going?" Chris walked back over with Mathew watching three of his men walk out without orders or instructions.

"San Diego." Gabby offered but as she turned around and looked at Chris she sighed. "Becky tracked down her ex. Your boys don't like dead beat dads." She shrugged and took Mathew back.

"Not a fan of them myself." Chris whistled to Happy and Lenard and nodded his head. Gabby watched three more men walk out of the clubhouse and shook her head sitting down with Kristen and Vin.


	5. Chapter 5

_The conclusion of Becky's baby daddy drama, oh, and some other stuff you guys might find interesting. I didn't get back on most of the comments, I apologize, I've been extremely busy, but I read them all and I loved them, thank you so much!_

_I love the debate over who will end up with Becky, Shark or Tom Tom. Their fate is already sealed, and i'm not spilling this time, but you'll get to bug me about it a bit longer, i'm currently working on chapter 9 and she's still not with either yet, but one may prove victorious by chapter 10 (or so, considering i'm still writing chapter 3 according to my outline.)_

_As always special thanks to the freak circle and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle. haven't been on twitter much this week, haven't really been on my computer much this week, did you all know there are phone's that let you go online and use twiiter and even ? I really need a smart phone.._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

Additional warning, this chapter contains graphic sex. For those of you who don't want to read explicit content please keep this in mind.

* * *

2022

Age 30

It was no surprise to the younger members when they were joined by the older patches. The 5 hour drive took only 4 on the bikes weaving in and out of traffic on the highway. Once they reached downtown San Diego Chris took the lead and pulled into a gas station. "So do we have any actual plan here? Know where this guy is?"

"Got info on him." Casper pulled his phone out. "He's in an apartment near the base."

"And the plan?" Vin asked.

"Six bikers throw him in the back of a van and take him by force to the nearest clinic." Happy put out there.

"How about we don't kidnap the Naval officer." Lenard offered instead.

"I was thinking we knock on the door and explain to him just how great of a kid he has and just how much we'd like to see that little girl get everything she deserves in life." Shark grinned.

"Sounds good to me, three in, three out." Chris nodded his head.

"We taking him for the test or just encouraging him to take one?" Lenard asked.

"Think we should offer him a ride." Casper threw in and grinned at his father in law.

"Alright, roll out." Chris mounted his bike. He wanted to get this thing over with and get home to his bed and a home cooked meal, not to mention his old lady.

Casper took the lead directing the men through the busy downtown area closer to the Naval base and finally pulling into a rather decent looking apartment complex. The kind of place you could raise a kid in, the kind of place Becky and Suzie should be living in instead of the dump Becky could barely afford.

The older men stayed in the parking lot as Casper Tom Tom and Shark went into the building and up to the third floor. Shark grinned when they stopped at the man's door and he correctly guessed they had parked in perfect view of his window.

Tom Tom knocked on the door, the other two men naturally flanking him. The door opened a crack and Scott stuck his head out. "Can I help you?"

"Scott Harriman?" Tom Tom asked.

"Yes."

"We need to talk."

"Now's not a good time." He looked the men over. "Do I know you?"

"We know you." Shark answered and leaned on the door so Scott couldn't shut it on them.

"Umm…"

"Easier you make this the quicker we leave man." Casper cut off his next excuse. "Wouldn't want the neighbors asking questions."

Scott reluctantly pulled the door open and all three men walked into the apartment. "What can I do for you?" Scott crossed his arms and stood in the middle of the room.

"We're here about your kid. Apparently you haven't been paying child support. We're not okay with that." Shark stood about two feet in front of Scott staring him down.

"You have the wrong guy. I don't have a kid. You need to leave." Scott started to walk toward the door but Tom Tom blocked him.

"Sure you do, cute little thing, 'bout 4 years old. Goes by Suzie." Shark reminded him.

"She ain't mine."

"She's got your nose, and your eyes." Casper produced a picture of the girl on his phone.

Scott looked at it for a moment. He'd never actually seen his kid, didn't even know if it ended up being a boy or a girl. He'd changed his phone number when Becky kept calling and had done his best to make sure word didn't get back to her where he was stationed.

"That kid's not mine." Scott said again but knew it was pointless. The angry bikers were right, Suzie had his nose and his eyes. His hair color too, though these men wouldn't know that with his buzz cut.

"Then you won't mind coming with us for a quick blood test. Put all this foolishness behind you."

"Blood test…look, I don't know what your interest is here, if any or all of you are tapping Becky, but…" Scott started to ramble.

"None of us are tapping Becky. We are ALL however very interested in the wellbeing of your daughter. And we'd ALL like to see her get what she needs." Casper planted a hand on Scotts' shoulder and walked him to the window. Shark had nodded to it a few times with a smirk and Casper knew just what he meant. Scott looked out the window to the line of 5 bikes, a foreboding black van and three more bigger, angrier looking bikers two spots over from his own car.

"So here's the deal." Shark clamped a hand on the man's other shoulder. "You're gonna get in the back of that van, we're gonna take you to a clinic and you're gonna get a DNA test to prove that little Suzie is yours. Then you're not going to in any way contest the child support claim. You will never skip a payment, you will never be late. Lastly, you will in no way whatsoever contact Becky or Suzie, you will not call, you will not write letters, you will never see your daughter or interfere in their lives. Just like you wanted, you have no kid in your life."

"No kid in my life but I fork over half my paycheck." Scott talked to the window.

"You might think about a cheaper apartment." Tom Tom cracked his knuckles getting impatient.

"Let's go." Shark squeezed tighter and turned Scott around.

"There's no way in hell I'm going anywhere with you." Scott tried yanking his arm out of the man's grip. "Get your fucking hands off me!" He managed to shake off Shark but Tom Tom grabbed him by the front of his shirt and threw him into a wall knocking a clock to the floor.

"You want to fight we can fight but it's three against one in here and six against one out there. And none of us have any problem knocking you out and throwing you in the back of that van hog tied. So think your next move through well you piece of shit."

Scott stared Tom Tom down before his muscles finally relaxed and he fell limply against the wall. "What's to stop me from going to the cops over what you're doing?"

"You're gonna go to the cops because the men you invited into your apartment are giving you a ride to take a paternity test so you can pay child support for your four year old girl so her mother can get her out of the slum she's barely paying the rent in?"

"Can I drive myself?" Scott swallowed nervously.

"NO!" All three men answered him and led him out the door.

* * *

Gabby turned over when she felt the bed dip. It was early and she wasn't quite asleep. "Hey." She mumbled and reached out to pull Casper in for a kiss.

"Hey love." He kissed her gently and got under the covers.

"You want dinner? There are leftovers." She was curling up into his chest even as she offered to heat him up food.

"No Gabs, I just want you." He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back as her legs wove in amongst his.

"How'd it go?"

"Went fine. We were very polite." She scoffed into his chest and he grinned into her hair. "He took the test. Agreed not to contact Becky or Suzie and not to contest the Judge's decision."

"You accomplished all of that in an evening?" She straddled him and nibbled on his jaw.

"We can be pretty persuasive." He pushed her up and sat up with her, capturing her perfect tit in his mouth and circling his thumb on her hip.

She pushed his head away and kissed him lightly. "Thank you."

"Guys agreed not to tell Becky what we did. Try to keep it that way."

"How much is that secret worth to you?" She raised her eyebrows and grinned.

"How thankful are you?" He grinned back.

"How much did you miss me?" She teased starting to grind herself against him.

"Oh you are good." He growled out before capturing her lips again. She loved kissing Casper, his tongue and lips alone could make her entire body melt and his hands never let go of her body when their lips were attached.

"Fuck Gabby." He gasped as her hips never ceased grinding against him. She grinned against his lips and in one fluid motion pushed him down flat on the bed and impaled herself on him. "Fuck fuck fuck" Casper prided himself on making sure his wife always came before him but being on a week long run watching everyone around him get laid didn't make it easy to hold back as his wife rode him. He grabbed her hip with one hand to slow down her pace and slipped the other between them finding and stroking her clit.

Her moan nearly did him in and he was thankful for her nails digging in his chest to keep him grounded as she rode his dick and hand to her own orgasm, her back arching and head falling back giving him the perfect opening to grab hold of both her tits and pinch her nipples. He loved his wife's body and knew it better than his own, he knew just how to extend her orgasm and couldn't stop the grin when she cried out his name.

Before she had the chance to come back down he flipped them over and pulled out of her. "Baby." She reached out for him and he kissed the palm of her hand before briefly sucking on a nipple. He dragged his tongue along her stomach making her shiver till he reached her mound and tasted her. "Fuck!" Her knees bent up and spread without him having to encourage her and he ran his tongue along her slit alternating between sucking her clit and plunging his tongue in her soaking wet pussy.

"Fuck baby please. Please fuck me, please." Gabby managed to whimper as she ran her fingers threw her husband's hair. He knew she had another orgasm left in her and continued to suck her clit while deciding if he wanted to taste her coming or feel it around his dick. After a week sleeping in a funky smelling dorm room alone his dick won out and he flipped his frantic wife over once more pulling her up onto her hands and knees before grabbing her hips and plunging back in deeply on his first stroke.

He set a non-relenting pace as she buried her face in her pillow to stifle her moans. He pushed her shoulders down changing his angle and ran his hands down her back. She would never admit this was her favorite position, face down, on her knees, ass high in the air, not a standard 'wifely' position, but he knew the combination of the angle he was fucking her at and his hands pressing into her muscles would make her come hard enough to bit down on her pillow.

He felt her muscles clench just as a stream of muffled curses left her mouth and he gave in, bringing his hands back to her hips he thrusted frantically coming with a loud groan at the tail end of her second orgasm.

"Fuck I hate when you do that." Gabby chastised him as soon as he collapsed beside her and peeled her off the mattress to spoon.

Casper chuckled into the back of her neck. "You love it and you know it." Gabby panted out her own chuckle and scooted back a bit so she was pressed tightly against him.

"I missed you a lot." Casper whispered as the hours and hours of driving caught up with him and he was suddenly exhausted.

"Missed you too." She squeezed his hand resting on her stomach. "Love you baby."

"Love you too." He murmured into her hair half asleep.

Casper wasn't sure if the crying on the baby monitor woke him or stopped him from falling asleep. He pulled Gabby closer and inhaled the scent of her skin before the fact that the noise was actually his son crying hit him.

"Mmmm I'll get him." Gabby mumbled. "He didn't go down easy." She started to pull away from Casper and he pulled her back and kissed her shoulder.

"He knew I was home, he wants me." He kissed her shoulder once more and crawled out of bed reaching blindly for his dirty jeans to pull back on. He was right, Gabby knew it, but she hadn't wanted to tell him and make him feel guilty.

He zipped and buttoned his jeans on his short trip across the hall and quietly opened the door. "Hey little man." Casper squatted down next to the lowered railing of his sons crib. "You're not so little anymore, are you?"

"Da da da" Mathew reached out and Casper picked him up and held him against his bare chest slowly swaying back and forth.

"Dada's right here." He soothed his son. Mathew stopped crying instantly and nuzzled against his father. "I miss you so much when I'm gone son." Casper continued to sway side to side and talk softly. "I promise you I'm gonna make it up to you. You and I are gonna have so many guy's weekends. I'm gonna teach you how to ride a bike, how to drive. I'm gonna get you an old junker for us to rebuild together. You're gonna tell me everything you sister does that your mom and I don't find out about…"

Gabby pulled on her robe and paused outside her son's door to listen to her husband rattle on and on. She shook her head and smiled before heading down the stairs. Casper heard the stairs squeak and peaked out the door seeing a glow come from downstairs.

"You keep a secret Mathew?" He whispered into his son's ear though he could tell the boy was asleep already. "I'm gonna work on making you an older brother." He kissed his sons head and moved towards his crib. "Just gotta convince momma. Can you help me with that?" He ever so slowly peeled his sons hand off his neck and gently tried to lay him down without waking him. "Can you be irresistibly cute so your mother can't possible say no to another baby?" He rubbed his sons back as he stirred till he settled and stuck his thumb in his mouth. "Yeah you can do that without even trying." Casper snuck back out of the room and closed the door as softly as he could.

He used his Happy trained stealth to sneak down the stairs and wrap his arms around his wife disappointed when she didn't jump. "Always forget who raised me." She teased and leaned her head up as far as she could to receive a kiss. "Heating you up dinner." She smiled and pulled away to open the microwave door at the last second to prevent it from beeping.

"Mmmmm pot roast." He took the plate right out of her hand and inhaled the smell of the juicy tender meat with carrots and potatoes. "You planned this special for my homecoming didn't you?" He gave her an apologetic look and sat down at the table.

"Yeah I did, but I love you for so willingly going to bat for my friend." She kissed his neck and handed him a fork.

"Oh god love." He groaned at the first bite and pulled her down onto his lap. "So good." He inhaled the food finally realizing he hadn't eaten since a hastily served breakfast before they hit the road that morning. He pushed the empty plate away and leaned his head against her tit. "So Tig was late." He began to broach the subject.

"Yeah, last minute call."

"He was in good spirits. Things went well?"

"He got on pretty well with Kristen, he and I had some words."

"You know you don't have to let him in. You say the word and I'll put a stop to it." He stroked his wife's back.

"I'm trying really hard to be mature about this whole thing, I don't want to walk away from him the way he did to me. Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Love, we're not talking about Suzie and Kristen calling each other names here. You and Tig have serious issues. He royally fucked up. You don't have to give him a second chance."

"Don't." Gabby got up twisting away when Casper tried to snag her arm.

"Love, Gabby hey!" Casper got up and caught her as she reached the first stair. He picked her up from behind and put her back on the floor putting his arms out to trap her against the wall.

"Really?" She turned around and huffed out very nearly stomping her foot. "You can't just pick me up and throw me where ever you want! I'm not a rag doll Casper!" Casper bit his tongue, he had figured out before she had ever moved to Fresno that the only way to get Gabby to tell him what was wrong was to piss her off.

Gabby slammed both her palms against Casper's bare chest trying to move him so she could escape but he didn't budge. "I'm not doing this now, you just got home, the kids are asleep, I have to work in the morning!" She yelled as quietly as she could.

Casper shook his head and wrapped an arm around her waist picking her up and throwing her over his shoulder taking her out to the garage and closing the door to the house. "We won't wake the kids out here. I'm home; I want to know what the hell is going on in my house with my old lady. And I am not letting you sleep till you tell me what the fuck is going on!"

He wasn't mad at her in the least; it hurt him to know that she carried so much pain and resentment from her childhood. It broke his heart to see her like this. The first time she had ever been upset with him when they were dating she wouldn't tell him why and he brushed it off, the second time he had been the caring boyfriend and cuddled up and apologized for whatever the hell he might have done wrong. The third time he had lost all patients with her and left her apartment for the clubhouse. He had watched Tig storm into the clubhouse obviously pissed off and drink himself into a near stupor till Chibs cursed him out for kicking his bike over and the two had it out in the middle of the clubhouse with the encouragement of every Son around. That's when he finally broke down and called Hap for advice. He had been terrified that Hap would be angry at him for whatever he had apparently done to piss his daughter off but instead Happy just sighed. 'Piss her off' he had said. 'Go back in there and scream and yell till she tells you what's wrong.'

So Casper had gone back, slammed his fist against the door till she let him in and the two had screamed and yelled for 20 minutes until she finally screamed out that she was terrified she was going to lose him because he had finally gotten his patch.

"I'm just so fucking sick of everybody having an opinion on Tig. You and Happy always want to tell me what the fuck I should do or shouldn't do. You want to know why I'm giving Tig so many chances because you say he doesn't deserve them. No one seems to care that maybe, just fucking maybe I WANT HIM IN MY LIFE." She backed up putting the bike between them but it didn't matter; Casper knew better than to interfere now, if he started talking back she was likely to just stop talking altogether.

"My father abandoned me, my mother wanted to abort me, and then she killed herself! The only person I have to thank for being born, that seemingly wanted me is dead, died when I was ONE. JT is the only reason I'm alive and I don't remember a single thing about him. I just want some semblance of why the hell I'm here Casper, why I exist! Why I was born! I get it, I know what you're gonna say, I have Happy he loves me he raised me and I will always be grateful. And I have you and I have the kids and I have a huge family here. I know that, but Tig gave me life! He's the only one left alive that had any part in me being born. Why is it so horrible that maybe I want him in my life?!"

Casper was unaware of any conversations Happy may have had with Gabby about Tig but he was pretty sure most of what was coming out was more so Gabby's inner dialogue. She was justifying to him what she probably couldn't make sense of in her own head, or her heart.

When she was silent for a solid minute he made his way around the bike and took her hand. "I understand love. I completely understand. And I know that Hap understands. Tig did some awful stuff but he gave you life. You can do or not do whatever you want when it comes to him in whatever time you want. I will back you no matter what."

"Can we just drop the Tig thing for a while?"

"Absolutely." He hugged her and held her against his chest waiting for all of the tension to leave her body. When that didn't happen quickly enough he pulled her away to look at her face. "You know….in eight years together we've never done it on my bike."

Gabby half chuckled and pulled away. "Really? All that" she waved her hand around indicating the argument, "and you revert back to sex on your bike?"

"It's not reverting back; we've never done it. Can't revert back to it if you've never done it. I was just trying to lighten the mood." He grinned at her and stroked her back through her thin robe. A week away was cause for more than a single romp with his old lady but he usually tried to wait till he got the kids out of the house.

"Never seen it done, sure it's sturdy enough?" Gabby knew the answer, and unfortunately had seen it done, many, many times, but couldn't pass up teasing him.

"Are you kidding me? This thing is over 600 pounds. We ain't tipping it." He clamped his hand down on the seat for emphasis.

"I don't know, seems kinda unstable."

"Only one way to find out." Casper snaked a hand under her robe grazing her thigh.

"Pretty sure there's a lot more than one way to have sex on a motorcycle." She grinned and walked away from Casper circling the huge Harley. "I mean, you could straddle it while I straddle you. You could bend me over it, you could lean me against it, I could straddle it backwards and then you could…"

"Take off the fucking robe." Casper was around the bike in an instant and yanked it off her shoulders while simultaneously picking her up and sitting her on the bike sideways. She untied the belt and let the robe fall, blanketing the bike.

He held her neck in one hand kissing her hard while his other hand found her pussy already wet for him. "Fucking tease." He panted upon breaking away and scooted her ass nearly off the seat and pushed her down to lay across the bike. She squealed and stretched both her arms out as far as they would go, her fingertips finding the garage wall, she wrapped her legs tight around her husband's thighs so she wouldn't fall.

"Bent over, bent over feet on the ground, definitely safer!" She squealed again as he unzipped his pants and rubbed the tip of his already half hard cock over her clit. "Oh fuck!" She arched her back and palmed the wall continuing to curse under her breath as he slipped inside of her and started to thrust.

Casper looked down at his wife, stretched out naked over his bike, arms outstretched tits bouncing. She was completely exposed and was absolutely unashamed by it. He kept one hand firmly planted on her hip and ran the other over her stomach and up to her tit. He palmed it and tweaked her nipple causing her hips to buck up.

"You are so fucking sexy Gabby." He whispered and his hand continued to caress her moving down so he could graze her clit and back up to her tits, never taking the same path on his journey between the two targets. When he felt her muscles start to clench he leaned over her more, slipping a hand under her, pressing up between her shoulder blades. The extra balance and different angel allowed her to rub her clit against the base of his shaft and she came hard with a curse followed by his name. He reached the hand on her back out to the wall and she let go of it, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling her head up to kiss him.

"Think you can come while you hold us both?" She panted.

"You could help." He answered and gently grabbed her bottom lip with his teeth and then lavished the wound with his tongue. Gabby pushed them both up so they were sitting on the bike and then pushed her husband away and hoped off. He pouted and she turned him around and pushed him so he sat in the same position she had been then hoped onto his lap her legs wrapping around him and hanging off the other side of the bike. She sank back down onto him and immediately ground her pelvis against his.

Casper took a few deep breaths but when she started nipping at his neck he couldn't hold out any longer. He let go of the bike where he had been holding on and grabbed her ass picked her up and slamming her back down on him. She threw her head back with a gasp and he did it again.

"Fuck, shit Casper." She dug her fingers into his shoulders as he continued to slam her down on his cock.

"Gabby, Gabby." He gasped out her name and she brought her head back up and kissed him, knowing it was what he wanted. He slammed her up and down at fast as he could as she took control of the kiss knowing his concentration was elsewhere. He pressed her down hard as he came getting as deep as he could and she tore her lips away so he could groan out.

She rested her forehead against his chest and he wrapped his arms around her back holding her against him as he came down completely.

"Mmmm bike sex." She whispered after several minutes and he grinned.

"You can't get off, can you?" He finally realized as she continued to just sit on him.

"Not actually sure how I got on." She pulled her head away and grinned.

Casper stood up taking her with him and stepped away from the bike so she could unwrap her legs and stand. He leaned down and kissed her before reaching behind and pulling her robe off the bike for her to put back on. "Think we finally found a room to fuck in without waking the kids." He grinned as he swung the robe back and forth for her to grab.

"Next time let's try the car." Gabby shook her head but smiled at him. "Come on, I need a massage after that." She grabbed his hand and pulled him to the door.

"Yes ma'am." He laughed and slapped her ass.

* * *

_twitter: kiara8921_

_for any Stargate SG-1 followers in my audience there is an ode to a character in this chapter, it would absolutely make my day if you find it and let me know in a review!_


	6. Chapter 6

_Holy shit, it's Wednesday! that was my first thought when i woke up this morning and realized i needed to post a chapter, lol. So of course i didn't answer all of your reviews because i thought i had one more day. I did answer some of you, those of you who are stargate fans got first dibs :D _

_Thank you to everyone reading following favoriting and reviewing, and an extra thank you to the freak circle and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle._

_enjoy!_

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Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

"Hey Becks." Casper opened the front door with a smile. "Hi Suzie, Kristen's in the backyard."

Suzie gave him a big smile and a hug before running through the house to the patio door.

"Was that blur Suzie?" Gabby laughed and walked into the hallway. "Hey Becky, you hungry? I just put dinner in the oven."

"Not hungry, confused." She finally took a step inside and Casper shut the door behind her.

"What's up?" Gabby asked slightly worried.

"I got a letter today from that lawyer I talked to. Apparently I've been awarded $700 a month in child support. According to this," Becky handed the letter to Casper, "Scott went on his own and got a blood test down to prove Suzie was his."

"Sounds like a good thing to me." Casper shrugged his shoulders as he scanned the paper work. It had been 10 weeks since the club paid a visit to Scott.

"Yeah, except I never contacted him. I never asked him to take a test, I never told him I needed him to take a test, I didn't even tell him Suzie and I had gotten our tests done. And I know the lawyer didn't do it because he wanted $400 dollars from me to send a request down to Scott." Becky grabbed the papers out of Casper's hand and flipped through to a certain one. "And he drew up a contract."

"The lawyer?" Gabby asked and took the papers.

"No, Scott! He drew up a contract that says I'm gonna get $350 twice a month from him and he won't ask for any custody or visitation on the condition that I and my 'proxy' and or 'proxies' don't contact him in any way."

"Never heard of a lawyer being called a proxy before." Gabby skimmed the contract as she spoke.

"Lawyers aren't called proxy's!" Becky turned to Casper, "pretty sure my proxy was in a black cut and rode a Harley."

"Actually we took the van and covered our colors." Casper shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the hallway wall.

"Wait…we? Like you and Hap?" Becky had assumed her best friend had sent her old man to San Diego.

"Like me and Hap and Shark and Chris and Lenard and Tom Tom."

"Chris? As in the president Chris? And…Tom Tom? Why would Tom Tom go down there with you?"

"It was his idea. Gabby told us to wait till you asked for help but Tom Tom wasn't having it."

"He wasn't?" All of Becky's steam was suddenly gone.

"Uh, Becks, you were yelling at Casper for getting you child support, remember?" Gabby joked with her friend.

"I…thank you…I appreciate it. I do…"

"You're welcome." Casper laughed.

"I need to thank them. All of them, this is…"

"No thanks necessary. They didn't even want you to know. You're family Becks, we take care of our family."

* * *

Friday night church was heavier than usual tonight. A Latin gang calling themselves D-27 had broken off from the Diablos in LA and had moved to Fresno to start up their own drug trade. It hadn't been a problem in the beginning, they had stayed out of the Sons territory, but now they were pushing at the border lines.

"I'm just saying we're already spread pretty thin. There's no reason to start something." Bull crossed his arms and shook his head as he spoke.

"Those guys are dealing drugs on our streets; it's a slap in the face." Shark threw back.

"You want to go to war over a fucking insult?" Bull scoffed.

"I'm not saying we should start a war. I'm saying these are our streets, our livelihood. Why are we rolling over for these guys? We should charge them the same we do anybody else and enforce our rules. Anything less and we look weak."

"Will the two of you stop pissing on each other so we all can have a say?" Chris snapped at Shark and Bull.

"Sorry Pres."

"Sorry Chris."

"Thank you. Now does anyone else have an opinion on this matter?"

"I think it's too soon to do anything. We're going on nothing but assumption and rumor right now. These guys have Diablos ink but they're putting a new tag up. Doesn't mean they broke off completely. We don't know where they're getting their drugs from. They might have broken off and moved here to establish themselves, making their shit here in town. But they might be testing the waters. Diablos might have sent them here to test us and the market. These D-27's are worthless, maybe 10 guys, 4 cars between them. If they're still getting backed by a 100 strong LA street gang and we go after them we mine as well burn down our clubhouse and shoot ourselves." Casper dared a glance around the table as he finished spewing his theory.

"I'm with Casper. We don't know shit about these guys or their intentions. Anything we do now would be a huge gamble." Frankie spoke up.

"So we need more intelligence?" Lenard sat up in his chair instead of lounging.

"I've been looking into what I can. Both on the men here and the main gang in LA. There's nothing in police records indicating a fracture in Diablos. We don't have much info on the guys here. I managed ID's on two of them using street names. Both have records, both listed as affiliates of Diablos. No known associates in the area. No indication of why they're here."

Casper offered up the info he had gathered as he knew the next step in the conversation would be for him to get online and find something.

"If online info's been exhausted we should look into other options." Hap leaned forward, leaning his forearms on the table.

"Think Hap's brand of info getting is our war starter." Vin smirked.

"Not if we snatch him alone and kill him when we're done." Hap spoke frankly.

"There's a plan." Chris took a deep breath. "Not plan A mind you, but a plan." Vin and Shark chuckled as Chris held his hands up to Hap not wanting to insult him by turning down his idea.

"What about the prospect?" Harry threw in.

"He's too green to do shit." Tom Tom shook his head.

"I ain't saying send 'em in to kill the fuckers. Tech head over there only has ID's on two of them. Send the new guy in to buy some shit, collect a few more names. No one knows he's with us yet." Harry expanded.

"Anything would help. Got into the gang task force database. I got names aliases and associates on over 100 known Diablos. Any name Tony can bring us I can put in there and get something." Casper brushed off being called a tech head, it beat a lot of other names the old timer had for anything and everything having to do with technology.

"So send Tony in as a druggie? We all okay with that? Find out a little more before we make our next move?" Chris picked up his gavel and waited for the votes of 'yay' before slamming it down.

"I'll get Tony ready." Vin offered as the men started to filter out of chapel.

"No, hold up. Casper! Get your old lady. I want that prospect looking walking and talking the part. Gabby's the best I know for the job." Casper and Hap both paused to hear their president's orders.

"Yes sir." Casper mock saluted before turning to Hap. "I am sooo sleeping on the couch tonight." Hap smirked as Casper walked out, his head hung low, and grabbed his cell phone. Happy definitely didn't envy his son in law today.

* * *

Chris grabbed a beer after sending the prospect to Vin and Lenard and sat down at the bar next to Happy. "You hear the shit your boy was spewing in there?"

"My boy?" Hap asked pouring two shots.

"Son, son in law, your boy." Chris egged Hap on.

"Yeah, I know which boy you're calling mine." Hap pushed a shot at his President and took his own.

"Saying some worthwhile shit in there." Chris looked over at Casper on the phone with his old lady.

"He's a smart kid."

"He's got a good head on his shoulders. Understands the game. He could go far, especially with his old lady backing him."

Happy finally turned to Chris. "You talking a change in regime Pres.? That boy's too young for this shit."

"I ain't talking about handing him my gavel brother. Just saying, it's good to know the next generation has potential. Makes growing old easier."

"Yeah, you are an old fucker, ain't you Pres.?" Hap smirked and lifted his beer in a toast.

"Don't you ever think of the future? Retirement?"

"Retirement Pres.? Nah, I'm gonna be dead or locked up. Maybe, maybe I'll be the next Harry."

"Not me man. I promised the old lady a cross country trip, and a fucking beach house. Few more years. 3 tops, and I'll be out of here. Then this is all on you, on them." Chris nodded his head at the younger men on the couches and Hap nodded in understanding.

* * *

"Hey Gabs, over here." Gabby was surprised to see such a subdued Friday night party when she arrived on the lot.

"Vin, what's going on?"

"We're all inside tonight." He put out his cigarette and walked her inside.

"Hey Love." Casper reached out from his seat and snagged Gabby's hand pulling her down onto his lap.

"Hey." Tom Tom walked over and handed Gabby a beer. "Becky come with you?"

"No, I dropped the kids off with her. What's with the lack of party? You called me like I couldn't miss it." She turned back to question her husband.

"Not in the party mood. We ah, we need a favor." Casper eyed the men close to him as he hesitantly spoke to his wife.

Gabby eyed the men as well and took a long pull from her beer. "This favor gonna put you in the doghouse?"

"You look really nice by the way. You smell nice too, is that the perfume I got you for your birthday?"

"So that's a yes to the doghouse?" Gabby smirked.

"Hey Gabs." Chris sat down next to the couple. Gabby looked in the direction he came from and saw her father raise his beer to her but not make a move to come over. He obviously didn't want to get blamed for whatever was about to be asked of her.

"Chris. You the reason my old man's gonna be in trouble?"

"You meet the new prospect yet?" Chris dodged the question.

"Tony, yeah." He'd been a prospect for about three weeks now and they already had him doing every possible shit job they could come up with. She felt bad for him but she had to admit it was nice to have a prospect again.

"We need you to give him a ah, lesson if you will." Chris eyed Casper getting silent permission to explain the situation to another brothers' old lady.

Gabby sighed and glanced at Happy drinking at the bar 'not' looking at her. "Drugs." She said, Happy turned back to the bar and she knew she was right.

"Tony's gonna be going undercover for us. He needs to be a convincing drug addict." Casper could feel Gabby's body tensing as Chris explained the situation.

"Love, he's not gonna do drugs. He just needs to do a few buys, see what he can overhear." Casper rubbed his wife's back.

"And I'm your first choice because?"

"You work with junkies every day. Closest thing we got to an expert." Chris assured her.

Gabby sighed and got up off her old man's lap. She wasn't sure if Chris knew the truth about her mother. She hadn't told anyone the entire truth about her childhood. Even Casper didn't know a lot of detail. Hell Happy still didn't know she used to make meth for her mother. But club Presidents had a way of finding things out however.

She eyed Chris and he stared back at her. She wasn't a patch, he couldn't force her to help, but she knew in reality she really didn't have a choice. "Alright, before I change my mind."

"Eh! Tony!" Shark yelled over at the prospect.

"What you need?" The green prospect attempted to stand tall in front of more than half the club.

"That thing we talked about…" Vin clued him in and Chris stepped up and towered over the nervous 22 year old.

"Getting names?" Tony asked looking around.

"Yeah pup, getting names. Gabby's gonna get you ready. You do what she says and don't talk back. You cross her we all beat on your ass, you ignore her, you get your ass beat on the street." Vin stepped up next to Chris and laid out the truth.

"Yes sir, Sir's. Ma'am." Tony looked around addressing everyone who was currently staring at him.

"Let's go Romeo." Gabby led the newbie out of the bar.

"Chef Boyardee." Tom Tom threw out.

"No." Frankie and Vin yelled back.

"How do we not have a name for our only 100% Italian prospect?" Harry griped from the bar.

"Ravioli." Bull threw out.

"Shut the fuck up!" Lenard snapped and slapped the back of his head.

"Fucking scared ass idiot." Vin mumbled to Lenard about Bull.

* * *

Gabby was extremely confused when she swung by Becky's to pick up the kids and found out Casper had beat her to it. She figured he was working off his guilty conscious of getting her involved with club business. She came into the house expecting screaming kids, when it was eerily quiet she peeked into the garage to make sure he was home.

"Casper?" Gabby hesitantly called out and peaked into the backyard even though it was passed the kids' bedtime.

"Hey Love." Casper startled his wife coming out of the dark living room and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "The kids are down." He kissed her neck and pulled her into the living room.

"You could have told me, saved me a trip to Becky's."

"Shark didn't tell you to come straight home?" He asked, pulling her into the living room and sitting on the couch settling her between his legs.

"Shark was dick deep in bottle blond pussy when I got done with the prospect."

"Talking dirty? That mean I'm forgiven or that you're still furious?" He started massaging her shoulders.

"I just spent five hours teaching your prospect how walk talk and dress like a junkie. You have any idea what that's like for me?"

"Love you work with junkies every day. It's why Chris wanted you to help with this." He continued to massage and stroke her back and neck.

"I don't work with junkies. I work with kids. Council them, listen to them. I get a minor addict maybe once a month. I don't work with junkies till they're clean and ready for family therapy. What Chris asked me to do wasn't because of my job, it was because of my mother."

"Chris doesn't know anything about your mother Gabby." Casper sighed and pulled his wife back against his chest.

"We both know that's bullshit." Gabby tried to pull away but Casper held onto her tightly.

"You really mad at me for this? I didn't tell him anything. I didn't suggest you help. Didn't mention you at all. I know how painful your past is love. I would never try to force that painful shit on you." He kissed her lightly on the head and ear and stroked his fingers up and down her arms.

"I've never done anything like that for the club." Gabby shook her head and shifted further into her husband.

"You hand over info all the time. You ask us to get rid of dealers and kitchens all the time."

"I slip you info. Tell you what's going on, you can't have eyes everywhere. I've never gone with you or helped you. Never had such a big part in something. I have this bad feeling in my gut that I'm in the middle of something that's gonna end horribly."

"Nothing bad is going to happen. You didn't do anything. Tony's going to do some buys, collect some names, so we can find out more about the new gang in town. We don't want to start a war. If you hadn't helped we still would have sent Tony, all you did was give him a better chance of not being discovered."

Gabby nodded her head and curled up on her side. Casper snaked a hand under her shirt and stroked her stomach. "Gabs." He whispered in her ear.

"I'm not mad at you." She answered and pressed her lips to his jaw before settling her head in the nape of his neck.

He smiled and continued to stroke her stomach. "Kristen wants a princess themed birthday party." Casper spoke again after several minutes had passed.

"Kristen's birthday is three months away. She'll change her mind five times by then." She arched her back and pressed herself against his hand when he stopped caressing her.

"Kristen turning seven, Jesus. Mathew will be three just two months after that." He continued his ministrations on his wife. He slipped his hand under the waist of her jeans and began circling her hip bone.

"Don't talk like that. Mathew's only two and a half. He's practically a baby still."

"What exactly is your cut off for a kid not being a baby anymore?" Casper teased her and bent his neck to kiss her temple.

"When they can fend for themselves."

"You do realize half my brothers can't fend for themselves."

"When they can feed and dress themselves. Mathew is still in his crib."

"We lowered the railings, it's practically a toddler bed. Your dad has him in a twin bed already." Casper slipped his hand a bit lower to the top of her thigh.

Gabby shifted slightly and popped the button of her jeans open. Casper grinned but didn't move any further down. With two kids he got more quickies than anything else and he relished taking his time and driving his wife to the point of begging.

"What about another baby?" Casper whispered as soon as Gabby let out a soft gasp.

"A…another baby?" Gabby sat up and faced her husband. "We said two."

"We said two or three." Casper adjusted himself and stared down his wife.

"We said two, we only have a three bedroom house."

"You said two when you were in labor with Mathew. Just like you tried to convince me that we were both only children and our first should be our only when you were in labor with Kristen. We have one of each, sharing a room wouldn't kill the kids and we can afford a bigger place. Hell we could keep this one and rent it, Becky's gonna be looking for a new place now that she has the extra money coming in."

"You really thought all this out. Why now?"

"We wanted the kids two years apart. It took us five months to get pregnant with Kristen. Another six when we started trying and then the miscarriage… and then eight more months for Mathew." No one had been aware that Gabby had a miscarriage between the two kids. They never told anyone they were trying, and it happened in the third month. She begged him not to tell, she said she couldn't take all the pity. Not even Charlene or Vivica knew, only Happy, and only because Casper called him to take care of Kristen when he took Gabby to the hospital.

Casper took his wife's hand and kissed it. "I don't want it to be stressful, I don't want to take tests or keep to a schedule. I think we should just not use birth control. If it happens it happens, if it doesn't it doesn't. We have two beautiful healthy kids, I love them with all my heart, I'd love another just the same, but it's okay if it doesn't happen." He pulled her close and kissed her. "I don't want to worry about it this time, I don't even want to try, I just want to let nature take its course."

Gabby straddled him and kissed him, spreading her fingers through his hair. "You know it will take at least a week off the pill for anything to happen."

Casper grinned wide and kissed his wife, he had been nervous when she didn't immediately seem thrilled by the idea. "Practice makes perfect." He whispered and stood up with her still wrapped around his waist.

* * *

Becky dared another glance at the closed chapel doors on her way back to the kitchen. "This is the last of it." Becky set three more grocery bags on the counter next to Vivica.

"Thank you baby. If they want Tony doing club work the least they could do is find another prospect for chores. I told Chris I was done with this shit." Vivica continued putting groceries away as she ranted under her breath. "Maybe if they would stop chasing all the prospects away after six months there'd be more hands around to help."

It had been four weeks since Tony had started doing buys. Chris had basically banned him from the clubhouse. He didn't want to take the chance of him being followed or spotted with the Sons. That meant the clubhouse was once again left to the old ladies and sweet butts to stock and clean.

"Sheets are all changed, washer's going. Got the sweet butts in the bathrooms. We need more bleach." Gabby came in dragging a trash bag and balancing a few dirty dishes. "You do not want to know what's in this bag." Gabby set the dishes down and tied the bag, leaving it in the corner.

Vivica shook her head after adding the dishes to the sink of soapy water. "Dishes, bar, dinner." Becky scratched off a few things and read the remainder of the list Vivica had hastily written.

Gabby leaned over her daughter and looked at the time left on the movie the kids were watching at the small kitchen table. "Be nice if Charlene was here to help out, at least watch the kids." Vivica mumbled when Gabby walked back to the sink.

"I haven't spoken to Charlene in months. She made her choice very clear." Gabby put on rubber gloves and started scrubbing dishes under scolding water.

"Charlene was never club." Vivica dropped another pile of dishes in the sink with a clank.

"She was my friend for a long time. I knew she'd never be an old lady but I never forced the club on her. Everything she did with the club was her choice. She could have drawn a line, I always gave her the option." Gabby swallowed back her tears and handed Vivica a plate to dry. Gabby had told the club that Charlene wasn't coming around because she didn't want anything to do with the club. Only Casper Happy Shark and Becky knew the full extent of what had happened.

Becky laid a comforting hand on Gabby's shoulder. "I'm gonna start the bar. Get it mopped at least before the boys get out." Gabby nodded her head and continued scrubbing plates.

"Now that one, I like." Vivica snatched another clean plate and started drying it. "Definite staying power." Gabby ignored the queen and stared down at the water. "You picked that one well." Vivica smiled when Gabby paused her scrubbing.

"I didn't pick her for…this…" Gabby held a hand up and waved it slightly around the room. "I was just trying to be nice to her, make a friend. Help out a single mom." She grabbed the sponge and started vigorously scrubbing cemented on cheese off a plate.

"Mmhmm." Vivica hummed and leaned against the fridge waiting for another dish to dry.

Becky made quick work of the bar area. She scrubbed off the table tops and turned the chairs and stools upside down on them so she could sweep and mop. Scrubbing the chairs down would have to wait for the prospect to get back.

She quickly let herself wish she knew just a little more about what was going on with the club but soon pushed the thought out of her mind. She cleaned the bar area while the floor dried and did a quick inventory. God help them all if these boys ran out of liquor for even a day.

As soon as the floor dried Becky started putting the chairs and stools back down. She was half done when she heard the slamming of the gavel, the only sound that ever seemed to escape the sound proof room.

"Wow, place looks great." Lenard smiled at Becky as he opened the doors.

"Damn!" Chris walked out and clapped his hands together. "Clean clubhouse and home cooking!"

"Hey Becky." Tom Tom grabbed the last chair at the table Becky was at and set it down for her.

"Hey Tom Tom." Becky gave him a big grin and prayed she didn't blush.

"How are things?" He asked, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Good, really good. Got some really great news recently." Becky hinted at what Tom Tom had done for her but he ignored it. "Thank you." Becky took a step closer and Tom Tom brushed a finger down her bare arm.

"No need to thank me. We're the good guys, we do what needs done." He dropped his hand quickly and turned towards the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" He threw over his shoulder and Becky held in a sigh.

"Sloppy Joes, should be about done." Becky walked past him and headed to the kitchen.

"What's wrong with you?" Vivica asked as soon as Becky entered.

"Nothing, bar is done. Load me up." Becky held out her arms and received a tray full of plates silverware and napkins.

"Kristen Suzie come help please." Gabby called and the girls got up. Vivica handed four year old Suzie three bags of hamburger buns and six year old Kristen a very large bowl of salad, carrying the dish of hot fries herself.

Gabby followed them out with the Sloppy Joe meat and Becky having emptied her hands first came back for Mathew who was reluctant to give up the iPad he was still watching a movie on.

"Time to eat little man." Casper swopped his son up and made the iPad disappear.

"You feed him you clean him." Gabby teased holding Kristen and Suzie's hands while the men served themselves.

"No problem with that." Casper answered and gently kissed his wife's cheek. They had become extremely affectionate since they started trying to get pregnant.

"Kristen sweetie, come here." Hap showed up with two plates of food in one large hand and picked Kristen up with the other.

"Grandpa, I colored you a picture at school today." She started chatting as soon as he picked her up.

"You did? What did you color for me?" Hap's fridge was covered in pictures Kristen had colored him, all of them as tough and manly as could be found in a children's coloring book or drawn by the princess loving girl.

"A goat climbing a mountain." Kristen stated proudly and Happy chuckled as he set her down at a table next to Vin and gave her a plate of food.

"Did you help cook dinner sweetie?" Vin asked before taking a huge bite out of his sandwich.

"Yes. I mixed all the salad stuff together and poured the fries on the baking sheet."

"Suzie baby, you hungry?" Shark grabbed Suzie from Gabby.

"Yes. Uncle Shark I haven't seen you in FOREVER." She hugged him around his neck.

"Oh baby I'm sorry. I've just been really busy." He kissed her forehead and picked up a huge plate of food he had left on the bar.

"Hey Tom Tom." Shark smiled and set Suzie down next to the child phobic man before sitting on the other side of her.

"Hi Tom Tom." Suzie said shyly.

"Suzie." Tom Tom awkwardly greeted the young child.

Shark split one of his two sandwiches and put it on an empty plate with a small handful of fries. "Becky, over here!" Shark called over to the woman finally filling a plate with food.

"You want me to take her?" Becky offered.

"No, sit come on." Shark kicked out the last chair at the table, across from Suzie and next to both Shark and Tom Tom.

"Mommy can I please have juice?" Suzie asked as soon as Becky sat down.

"Sure baby." Becky started to get up but Shark gently pushed her back down.

"I got it." Shark looked around and clinched his fingers at a sweet butt who had just ventured out to get a plate from the left overs.

"Three beers and juice for the little lady." Shark asked nicely.

The sweet butt glared at Becky a moment before turning back to Shark. "No problem sexy." She winked at him and sauntered off to the kitchen for juice before grabbing beers and heading back to the table. She served the drinks and attempted to sit in Sharks lap but he quickly shoved her off and glared at her before grabbing a napkin and wiping sloppy joe off Suzie's chin.

"You need anything else? Tom Tom, anything at all?" She asked, diverting her attention from one Son to another as if nothing had happened.

"We're good doll." Shark answered for him and again glared at the whore till she walked away to get her own food.

"Check that out." Casper whispered in Gabby's ear.

"Oh, come on Casper!" Gabby cringed as Mathew smashed more sloppy joe meat on his face.

"He's fine, he's having fun. Look." Casper ignored the mess and pointed at the table with Shark Tom Tom and the girls.

"Interesting." Gabby watched the sweet butt get sent away from the table and Shark dote on Suzie as Tom Tom and Becky exchanged silent glances.

"Someone's playing matchmaker." Casper chimed as he grabbed a napkin and wiped off his Sons face giving him a fresh slate to make another mess.

"Tom Tom and Becky don't need a matchmaker, Tom Tom and Suzie do." Gabby said to no one in particular as she took away Mathew's plate and gave him a small amount of her salad to stab with a children's fork.


	7. Chapter 7

_Of course, a special thank you to the freak circle, FF regulars will know who they are by now, but check out my favorite authors list on my profile for them as well. And everyone thank my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle, i now reference her in real life to my friends when they ask how my writing is going. They give me funny looks, but they don't read FF or watch SOA so i don't give a crap what they think..._

_Set the morning after the last chapter._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Gabby stood in Kristen's doorway listening to Casper read their children a story. She smiled when he noticed her and blew him a kiss before walking back to the master suite. Casper finished the story quickly and pressed a kiss to his son's forehead before carrying him to his own room.

Casper took a turn standing in his own doorway watching Gabby massage lotion on her legs, slowly moving her way from her calves to her thighs, under Casper's favorite short silky black nightgown.

"Kids are down." He informed her, walking further into the room and locked the door behind him.

"You want to help?" Gabby smirked and rubbed the remaining lotion into her hands.

Casper shed his clothes as he slowly walked towards her. "Where do you want it?" He whispered in her ear grabbing her bottle of lotion with one hand and sliding her nightgown strap down her shoulder. "Here?" He asked before kissing the exposed skin. "Here?" He asked again moving down to her shoulder blade.

"Mmmm lower." Casper tossed the lotion bottle on the ground and slipped her other strap off her shoulder. He ran his hands over the smooth material covering her torso before gently tugging the nightgown off and letting it pool at her feet.

She leaned against him as his hands ran over her body, cupping her tits. She looked up at him and he bent down and captured her lips, she really loved how tall he was sometimes.

Casper slowly walked them to the bed and laid her down, balancing himself on his elbows on top of her and slowly started to kiss her. There was nothing he loved more than kissing his wife. He took his time with her, tracing her lips with his tongue, gently sucking her bottom lip into his mouth, sweeping his tongue over hers. His lips smiled against hers as she whimpered and pulled herself up against his body wrapping a leg around him and grinding against him.

Her fingers dug into his back as she ground her wet pussy against his hard on, he let her have the control, it was all the same to him when they were in bed like this, as long as it was slow he didn't care who was in charge, he just wanted to loose himself in her. She wrapped her legs around him and he slipped inside of her, almost like a natural reaction. She gasped and he smiled against her lips, making his thrusts as slow as he could manage. She pulled herself tighter against him, taking him deeper and he stilled his actions making her groan. Gabby wasn't nearly as big a fan of slow love making as he was. Gentle and loving was one thing she always said, slow was another.

"Patients Love." He whispered in her ear and sucked on the sensitive skin just underneath it. She arched her neck giving him better access and clenched her muscles around his dick, she knew how to play him as well. Her hand trailed from his back to his ass and she pulled him even closer. She wished she was strong enough to flip them but even though Casper wasn't a large man his 6'5'' muscular frame was too much for her to maneuver.

"Mmmm" he hummed and started thrusting again while he kissed along her jaw. He pulled out and she whimpered. He chuckled as he slipped off her and pushed her on her side. He wrapped her in one long arm and pushed her top knee up to her chest so he could slip back in her and stoke her clit with his other hand. There wasn't much she could do to him in this position other than rest her hand on his ass and so his lips found the back of her neck as he took control and felt her relax against him.

"Baby." She breathed out.

"Yes Love?" He teased.

"Babe!" she gasped and he kissed down her jaw.

"Come for me Gabby, come for your husband." He continued thrusting as he stroked her clit and pulled her closer as he felt her tremble. He kissed her swallowing her moans and held her tight till her orgasm passed. He flattened her on her back and stared into her eyes, "now do I get what I want?" She simply smiled and closed her eyes, licking her lips as her head fell back to the mattress and he continued to ever so slowly thrust in and out of her, feeling every inch of her surrounding him.

* * *

Gabby woke up warm in her husband's arms. He was once again awake before her and absently stroking her shoulder with his thumb. "Can we talk?" She asked as soon as the fog lifted from her brain. 'Can we talk' or 'we need to talk' had always been the couple's code for club business and Casper nodded his head adjusting his hold on her as she sat up.

"You guys were in good spirits after church last night, has everything been resolved?"

"Tony got us what we needed. D-27 seems to be here on their own. Two of the men have no link to the LA gang, and another seems to have been ostracized. He must have taken a small following with him when he left. We voted last night to explain the way things work here, our rules, our fees."

Gabby nodded her head but narrowed her eyes. "And if they don't take it well after being allowed to operate freely for so long?"

"Then they leave." He kissed the tip of her nose to reassure her and she sighed. "You don't want them to leave?"

"I just don't have a good feeling about this whole thing, haven't from the start." She shook her head.

"Not your place to worry about that." Casper said sternly and held her jaw to look her in the eye.

Gabby grinned, she never could convince him she could handle club problems. "My apologies Mr. SOA, how can I ever make it up to you?" Casper scoffed and leaned his head against the headboard of their bed.

"Too early for teasing." He mumbled. Gabby licked her lips and slipped out of his hold under the covers. Casper rolled his eyes expecting his wife to try and annoy him and instead gasped as she took his limp cock in her mouth. "Fuck Gabby!" He flinched at the unexpected warmth around him and tangled a hand in her unruly morning hair. It didn't take much for her to suck him hard and deep throat him. Casper threw the covers back and watched his wife's head bobbing up and down on him. He pulled her hair back in one hand so he could see her face and when she met his eyes and popped his dick out of her mouth swirling her tongue around the tip and licking off his precum he pulled her forcefully up his body.

"Don't like?" She grinned licking her lips.

"You won't get pregnant that way." He managed to get out before sticking a finger in her pussy and groaning at how wet she was.

"No, but it'll feel good." He growled and grabbed the back of her thighs pulling her onto his dick and impaling himself as deep as he could in her.

"So will this." He growled out and again wrapped a hand tight in her hair as she rode him with vigor.

They both closed their eyes at the creek of a bedroom door and stilled as their own doorknob turned. "I locked it." Casper assured her in a whisper and looked at her pleadingly to keep going.

"Daddy?" Kristen called through the door and Casper let go of his wife's hair and rubbed a hand down his face.

"Should have let me swallow." Gabby smirked and Casper glared at her.

"Daddy's sleeping." He yelled and Gabby clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle.

"You're not sleeping, you're talking." Kristen tried the door knob again.

Casper tossed Gabby onto the bed next to him. "Daddy's coming sweetie." Gabby shook her head 'no' and dissolved into more laughter as Casper threw the blanket over her and pulled on his jeans from the floor. He checked to make sure his wife was covered before he opened the door and squatted down.

"Good morning sweetie." Casper smiled and kissed his daughters cheek.

"Daddy, you promised we'd make pancakes." Kristen wrapped her arms around his neck and Casper stood up taking her with him.

"Yeah I did, didn't I. Kristen do you know what time it is?" Casper rolled his eyes as Gabby pretended to snore under the blanket to avoid her daughter.

"It is 6:17." Kristen said proudly.

"And do you know what day it is?" Casper carried his daughter down the stairs.

"Saturday!"

"Yes Kristen, it is 6:17 on a Saturday morning."

"And we're gonna make pancakes!" Casper smiled and gave up, it was impossible to stay mad at his daughter.

Gabby got out of bed and grabbed a quick shower and threw sweatpants and a t-shirt on before sneaking into Mathew's room. He had managed his way out of bed and was throwing plastic blocks into his empty toy chest. "Hey little man, you want pancakes?"

"Mommy! Pancake!" Mathew got up and ran to his mother so she could pick him up.

"Yes, Daddy and sissy made us pancakes!" She carried her son down the stairs and set him down in the hall to run into the kitchen on his own.

"Daddy!" Casper turned around and Gabby smiled innocently at him. She was in no way ashamed at getting out of making pancakes with her six year old daughter, especially since Casper's bare chest was nearly covered in white powder. He shook his head at her and picked up Mathew not caring that he was leaving white handprints on his son's pajamas.

"Daddy we need to flip!" Kristen called out on a stool next to the stove.

"Okay, Mathew we gotta flip!" Casper turned around and grabbed a spatula. He flipped one over and paused at the doorbell.

"I'll get it." Gabby laughed and walked out of the kitchen to the front door. "Shark?" Gabby asked as soon as she opened the door and saw the obviously hung over brother in dirty clothes and sunglasses; she bit her lip not to ask any questions.

Instead of saying hi he held out his cellphone and played a voicemail. "Uncle Shark me and Daddy are gonna make pancakes! Come over!"

Gabby covered her mouth to not get snapped at for laughing. "There's four more. I want my pancakes and I want coffee." Shark walked past her and flinched at the squeal that came out of the kitchen. "AND ASPIRIN." He grabbed Gabby's arm. "Lots and lots of aspirin."

"Uncle Shark you came!" Kristen propelled herself off her stool and ran to Shark who automatically scooped her up instead of letting her plow into his legs.

"What's Uncle Sharks rule about Saturday's munchkin?" He spoke quietly and flinched again when she took off his sunglasses.

"Uncle Shark doesn't do Saturday morning's he does Saturday afternoons." Kristen recited.

"And when did you call me?"

"But Uncle Shark we made pancakes!" Kristen defended herself and Shark caved when he looked her in the eye.

"Did you make me a special pancake?" He asked, setting her on the counter and taking Casper's coffee.

The doorbell rang again and Shark flinched again swallowing the three aspirin Gabby dropped in his hand.

"I'll get it." Gabby repeated herself.

"Oh Kristen, how many more people did you invite?" Casper handed Mathew to Shark and looked his daughter in the eye.

"Just Grandpa." Kristen ducked her head as Gabby walked back in the kitchen with another hung over biker. "And Uncle Vin." She added as Vin collapsed onto a chair and buried his face in his arms on the table.

"Anyone else?" Casper asked.

Kristen shook her head and looked down at her lap. "Am I in trouble?" She asked.

Shark sighed and shrugged his shoulders and Vin turned his head to look at the back of the little girls head and smiled. "You promise not to call your uncles for breakfast so early again?"

Kristen nodded her head vigorously. "What time can I call them?"

"Noon."

"10:30."

"11:00" The adults all looked up as Happy walked in, his head and face covered in stubble but nowhere near as hung over as the other two.

"Grandpa!" Kristen shrieked and Shark and Vin again flinched.

"You're lucky you're cute sweetie." Happy picked Kristen up off the counter. "Let's teach you how to make coffee."

* * *

The entire club plus several nomads, minus the prospect pulled up to the rundown house they had tracked down as D-27's place of operations. The prospect had planted himself across the street as a bum and alerted them when the entire gang was inside. They knew now D-27 was 11 men strong. The got names and jackets on eight of them. The leader was Deus and had been kicked out of the Diablo for some unknown reason. He had taken at least five Diablo's with him, and two men had no connection to the LA gang but were in some way related to an ex-diablo. There were three wild cards in the gang as well that the prospect hadn't managed to get names on. Druggies in the neighborhood had given Tony info that two Fresno small time dealers had joined D-27, but the club had yet to narrow down whom.

Five Nomads spread out around the house in case the men tried to run. All nine Fresno patches headed to the door, they knew fairly well what to expect, Tony had gone above and beyond and actually managed to do a buy out of the house, he was able to sketch them a blueprint of the inside and give them a fairly good idea of where weapons might be hidden.

Vin knocked on the door, Lenard and Chris flanking him. The door opened a crack and instantly slammed shut. The officers stepped aside and Shark and Bull each took a shoulder to the door busting it open. From there it was on. Happy Tom Tom Casper Frankie and Vin ran in first, guns drawn, Shark and Bull came in next. Chris and Lenard wear the last wave, Harry staying in the yard watching the door. Shouts could be heard from the Nomads that had caught a few men trying to get out the back, once that route was cut off the D-27 men seemed to panic.

"Everybody freeze!" Chris yelled at the top of his lungs when half the gang dropped to the ground and the other half started pulling weapons. "Guns on the ground, hands on your heads and no one gets hurt. I want to talk to whoever is in charge here!"

The younger members complied with Chris' order, a few of them looking genuinely terrified. The older, more experienced members lowered their weapons, but there was no way in hell they were going down on the ground.

"I'm in charge here. Who the fuck do you think you are?" A tall man with a scar under his left eye stepped up.

"I'm the man deciding whether you live or die. Drop the gun or he's gonna break your goddamn hand getting it out." Chris nodded to Hap and the man shoved the gun into the front of his jeans. "Good enough. I'm Chris. You're stepping in on my territory. I ain't asking you to leave, but there's some rules you're gonna need to follow. You being in charge, that makes you Deus."

The man seemed slightly taken aback that Chris seemed to know his name which was an added bonus of the intelligence he had gathered. "Here's how this works. You know who we are, don't you? If you didn't your men wouldn't be shitting themselves right now." Chris waved his gun, safety on, at the few men that had remained on the ground.

"We've given you ample time to come to us, learn the rules, offer up some cash." A good enough excuse he felt for the delay in action. "You don't seem to have appreciated the chance."

"Here we just thought you were all pussies." Deus snapped defensively.

Happy walked up to Deus and took the gun out of the front of his jeans and shoved it in his mouth. "That's Hap's nice way of telling you to shut the fuck up." Vin smirked and Shark full out grinned, both men still had guns drawn on the group.

"There's a price to be paid for slinging on our streets Deus, and there's rules." Chris stepped closer and eyed Hap to pull the gun out. "You do know about the rules, don't you Deus?"

"D don't follow no rules, old man."

"Say D, who's your second?"

"X." Deus spat out and a slightly younger man obviously related to Deus nodded his head.

"Nice to meet you X." Chris nodded and Hap pressed Deus' gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. "You're now in charge." Chris added to X as the man watched his former leaders body collapse to the floor. "Now about those rules."

* * *

Casper sat at the bar, a beer in his hand, an empty shot glass turned over in front of him. Tom Tom sat next to him nearly mirroring his actions and Bull sat in the corner blankly staring at a sweet butt failing miserably in her attempts to tempt him.

"They gonna be okay?" Frankie asked Chris handing him a fresh beer.

"Hard to believe that's the first kill they've seen." Chris shook his head.

"Been sending Vin on all our shit, then Hap…" Lenard nodded his head.

"Takes a different kind of man to not think twice at a kill like that." Chris eyed Hap, currently getting a blowjob by the blond that had added a smiley face to his collection.

"Think we're jaded after so many years?" Lenard asked quickly downing the shot handed to him by Vin.

"We beat a lot of heads, run off a lot of shit bags, not all that often we kill 'em outright." Vin shrugged and downed his own shot.

"That shit really didn't faze you at all, did it?" Lenard shook his head at Vin.

"We voted, we agreed, cut the head off and the body dies. Those guys are gonna run for the hills man, we ain't gonna see them again." Vin defended his callous attitude.

"X seemed to listen pretty intently to what we told him." Chis offered up to his officers.

"X seemed interested, his men were fucking pissing themselves. Can't run that kind of outfit when half the gang gets scared off with one hit. Even if he wants to stand up, boy don't have no legs, or arms. You see that one kid on the ground crying? Thought he was gonna puke when that blood started seeping to him. And he still wouldn't fucking move, wouldn't budge a god damn inch." Vin smiled but held in his chuckle as his brothers obviously weren't as keen on the kill.

"We'll know in a week, their first payment is due next Monday. We get an envelope full of cash the man has more balls then we thought." Chris finally took the shot Vin had handed him.

"And if we don't?" Frankie put out.

"Then we make sure they're gone, or we kill X and elect another." Vin swiped the last shot off the table and walked across the bar to Happy handing him the shot as he zipped up his jeans. The killer grinned and downed it, handing the empty glass back to the sweet butt with a nod for another.

* * *

Casper parked in the garage more than a little tipsy. It was late, he had missed dinner, and putting the kids to bed, his brain, foggy as it was, knew he should have come home earlier, and a bit more sober.

Gabby was sitting on the steps at the garage door in her robe having been roused from bed by a call from her father. She had been warned earlier that it had been a hard day, and not to expect Casper. She appreciated her father's warnings. He had spent many years sheltering her from everything club related, so to now have him cluing her in to her husband's needs was both comforting and a bit disconcerting.

"Hey baby." Gabby stood up and hit the button to close the garage before walking toward her husband.

"Gabby." Casper wasn't so far gone that he was slurring, but he certainly didn't look steady on his feet.

"You have a bad day?" She snaked her hands under his cut and held his sides.

"We…yeah, yeah love." He sunk his face down into her hair and breathed in, "bad day."

"Come on baby, you need a shower." She pulled away and attempted to tug him to the door.

"Do I have blood on me?" Casper looked down at his shirt and then examined his hands.

"No baby, no blood, I just want you all wet and soapy and naked." Gabby tried to entice him.

"I don't deserve you." Casper pulled himself away from his wife and sat down on his bike.

"Yes you do, I'm not as perfect as I appear to be." Gabby walked up to him and pulled his head against her chest. He buried his face in her silk covered cleavage and set his hands on her hips.

"You're not perfect, no one is. You're a good person, a good wife, a good mother. I couldn't put my kids to bed. I didn't…I didn't want them to see me, I…"

"Baby." She ran her fingers through his hair and he pulled her closer to him, needing her firm presence against his body. Seeing him like this was breaking her heart.

"Baby, you love the kids, you are a good dad. You are a good person, if you weren't a good person you wouldn't feel like this right now." She squeezed her eyes shut and forced the tears back. Her father had told her exactly, or nearly exactly what had happened, the club had tracked down the D-27 and he had killed the leader. He hadn't cared, hadn't been upset or ashamed. He just wanted to inform her, let her know her husband hadn't taken it so well.

"I stood there and watched him die. I knew it was gonna happen, I went, I helped, I…" Casper swallowed back a sob and Gabby pulled him tighter into her chest.

"I love you baby." Gabby whispered into her husband's ear.

Casper shook his head and pulled away. "No, I…I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't have come home, I…"

"Casper." Gabby grabbed his face in both her hands. "You are my husband, my old man, the father of my kids. I know how the club works, I know what they ask of you, I've known since before I ever met you, before I took your ink. I love you, I love you as much as I loved you this morning, even if you had been the one to pull the trigger I would still love you as much I did this morning. Come inside, come to bed, hold me."

Casper dropped his head back to his wife's chest and his hands back to her hips. "I love you so much."

"I love you too." She assured him.

"I can't go inside." He shook his head against her. She knew part of his reaction was the alcohol in his system. Casper tended to get depressed if he drank much passed a buzz. She could count on one hand the number of times he'd gotten drunk in the 8 years she had known him.

"Then hold me out here." She pulled his head off her chest and looked him in the eye. He allowed her to pull him up and settle him on the stairs she had previously been waiting on. He dropped down hard and leaned against the door leading to the house. Gabby sat down on his lap and tucked her hands under his cut. He wrapped his arms around her, letting one hand rest on her head, pulling it to rest in the crook of his neck.

"I'm sorry Love." He spoke into her hair, "I'm so sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry for Casper. Nothing." She emphasized, meaning both the day and his reaction to it.

* * *

"Fucker's killed my brother." X ranted to his own new second, Tiago.

The men had packed up and retreated to their kitchen on the outskirts of town. As far as they knew the Sons didn't know where it was, but they had their two Fresno recruits, Salus and Viper outside to hopefully recognize any of the Son's if they rolled up.

"They knew a lot of shit X." Tiago had gotten more worried the longer the Sons had spoken to them. He knew who the Sons were, he thought he knew what they were capable of. It had been his cousin Ace's idea to come to Fresno and Tiago was worried X might take the death of his brother out on him.

"I ain't sitting down for this man." X was pacing across the room, waving his gun around with every sentence. "What are the boys saying?" He turned around to stare down Tiago.

In truth a lot of the boys were talking about skipping town, a few of them were hoping to get back in with the Diablos, but Tiago knew if X found out he was about to be abandoned he'd lose it completely.

"They're worried, but they're loyal, they'll back you man." Tiago assured him.

"Good, good." X nodded his head and continued to pace the room.

Tiago sat on the floor of the back bedroom and rested his head on the dirty wall. "Sling's still cooking, right?" X stopped pacing and looked panicked.

"X man, Sling can't cook with us in here, Jesus man, you trying to kill us all?" Tiago lifted his head but continued sitting.

"We need money. We gotta have something to sell to get money." X started pacing again. "We fucking need money Ti!"

"Look, X," Tiago reluctantly stood up "I really think we should just pack up and go, cut our losses, there's plenty of other towns to sell in man."

"THEY KILLED MY BROTHER!" X turned and screamed, pointing his gun at Tiago. "They ain't getting away with that man, they ain't getting away with that!"

* * *

_I've decided FF needs a kudos feature. i read a lot of stories that i like, but don't really have a review for, but i would love to just hit a button and leave some kudos. So for those of you like me hit me up with a Kudos, or to make your lives even easier, just hit the review button without typing anything, it will send me "Type your review for this chapter here..." i got one of those and i laughed my ass off, and yes, i will keep it up :D_

_Thanks for reading!_

_p.s. i'm not begging for comments, i genuinely want a kudos button! who's with me?_


	8. Chapter 8

_A bow and a tip of my hat to the freak circle, and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle, everyone applaud... no really, i'm waiting..._

_Set a week after the last chapter._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

"I just think it was a little easy is all I'm saying." Casper shrugged his shoulders and grabbed the wrench Tom Tom was holding out to him.

"Isn't easy a good thing?" Tom Tom asked; wiping sweat off his brow on the 105 degree day.

"Not if it's gonna come back to bite us in the ass." It was a week and a day since Fresno had stormed the D-27 house and killed Deus. No one showed up with a payment yesterday and so the men had all spent the morning in pairs driving around the city making sure the gang had truly taken off. And they certainly had. Not a single member was roaming the streets, the house they had stormed had never been returned to after the men fled minutes after the Son's had rolled out. Their kitchen had been destroyed. The place intentionally burned to the ground. It was a sad state of affairs when a meth lab exploding was little more than a bleep on the nightly news in Fresno these days.

Life in the club had returned to some semblance of normal. In true SOA fashion the killing was never spoken of, the Nomads having taken the body out of town to bury. Casper shook off the shock of witnessing his first kill, thanks in large part to his old lady. He didn't give her near enough credit, she really was club raised. Hell, sometimes he really felt she had a higher standing in the club than he did, she was second generation, men as far away as New York knew who Happy's daughter was. He was lucky if half the west coast brothers remembered his name.

"Hey grab my phone for me." Casper yelled from under the car he was working on when he heard his wife's ringtone.

"Hello?" Tom Tom grabbed it and answered it.

"I didn't tell you to answer it ass wipe!" Casper angrily yelled and pushed himself free of the car.

"She says if you keep using the same insults as her father she can't have sex with you anymore." Tom Tom joked and jumped out of Casper's reach for the phone.

"Give me the fucking phone!"

Happy and Vin climbed off the picnic table they had been taking a break on and Happy tripped Tom Tom and grabbed the phone.

"Hello?" He smiled and put a hand out affectively stopping anymore of Casper's grabs for the phone. Casper had good reason to want the phone. Even though he and Gabby had only been trying for a few months to get pregnant she was six days late and had mentioned taking a test so she wouldn't drive herself crazy with what-ifs.

"Hey sweetheart.…No, those two shit bags were fighting over the phone." Happy continued to stare at Casper as he listened to Gabby on the other end. Something had been different between the two of them lately and he was very curious as to what it was, they certainly weren't fighting.

"Yeah I can do that, no problem. What about her super?" Hap asked and Casper's expression completely changed from desperation to curiosity. "No, not a problem…nah, prospect don't know shit about plumbing." Hap smirked at Casper and then clicked his fingers at Tom Tom.

"Is she there now?" Tom Tom was still picking gravel out of a gash on his arm from falling when he walked over to Happy.

"Alright, tell her 20 minutes." Hap snapped the phone closed and tossed it at Casper. "Becky's sink is busted. Need you to go over there and fix it." He informed Tom Tom with a straight face.

"Me?" Tom Tom looked up and dropped his arm.

"You know any other plumbers?"

"I'm not…I mean I know how…but I don't… but I can…"

"Good. Grab your tools and don't even think about asking her to pay for any parts." Hap turned and walked back over to Vin ending the conversation.

Tom Tom looked to Casper but he as well was already walking away back to the car he had been working on, with a huge ass grin on his face.

"Playing matchmaker Hap?" Vin asked with a grin.

"Getting the girls sink fixed. I got to get Kristen from school, she's sick."

"She okay?" Vin's whole face changed.

"Yeah, stomach bug going around the school. Becky was going to pick her up but then couldn't cause of the sink." Happy put his sun glasses on and headed to his bike, he would have to go to his apartment to get his cage before he went to the school.

Tom Tom swung by his dorm, grabbed his tools and reluctantly put them in the tow truck before heading to Becky's apartment. He pulled into the complex he knew she lived in and scanned the mailboxes to get her apartment number.

He knocked on the door a tad reluctantly. He liked Becky but the idea of an insta-family didn't appeal to him and he wasn't so much of a dick that he would lead her on that he was okay with it just to get laid. Plus Gabby would kill him if he tried.

"Suzie, don't open it until you know who it is!" He heard through the door.

"It's Tom Tom." He called through the door.

"It's Tom Tom!" Suzie repeated and swung the door open. "Hi Tom Tom. Are you here to fix the sink?"

"Um, yeah, Becky!" He called for her stepping in to the stifling hot apartment feeling really uncomfortable alone with a kid.

"She's changing. She got all wet cause she was trying to crawl under the sink to turn off the water. Then she was trying to dry everything and then she made a bunch of phone calls." Suzie continued to talk while she followed Tom Tom into the kitchen.

"Hi." Becky came around the corner and stopped dead.

"Hi." Tom Tom answered looking over. She was in shorts and a very thin tank top and he did his best not to swear.

"You're not here to.. oh geese. I'm sorry. You don't have to fix this." She collected her damp hair and put it up in a ponytail, her tank top rising with her arms and showing a thin slice of perfectly tanned skin. "I only called Gabby cause I couldn't get Kristen. I told her I was trying to call the super." Becky picked up towels off the floor and checked to make sure it was dry.

"Did you reach him?"

"He said we were on the list. The air conditioner has been on the list for a year and a half."

"Our super is mean." Suzie added.

"Suzie can you play in your room please?" Becky was losing her patients between her daughter, the heat, and the sink so far today.

"But I want to help Tom Tom fix the sink."

"Tom Tom doesn't need your help. Go play." Becky guided her daughter out of the room. "Sorry, I know…" She cut herself off before she said 'I know you don't like her.' "She can be a bit much sometimes." She said instead.

"Right, I'll take your word on that I guess. So…sink, did you happen to see where the water was coming from?"

"Yeah, yeah I did." Becky got down on the floor and crawled into the cupboard under the sink. "This thing just like, popped out or something. Water was just gushing out of it. It happened as soon as I turned the water on. Everything is still soaked under here." She added as she moved to the side so Tom Tom could lay next to her.

"That's the cold water." He grabbed the edge of the hose and examined it. "Looks like it broke the seal. I think I have extras." He climbed back out and grabbed Becky's hand to pull her up as well.

He pulled to hard and she collided slightly with his chest. He cleared his throat as they each took a step back. "Shouldn't take long." He assured her and went digging through his tool box pulling out a few sizes of seals along with the few tools he would need.

Becky stood in the corner of the kitchen, arms crossed, watching Tom Tom under the sink. Every so often she would hear a bang or a slam and then a curse. He finally huffed loudly and crawled back out of the cupboard.

"Need your help."

"Okay!" Becky was standing over him in a second.

"Need you down here to hold the flashlight, can't get the angel right for the life of me." Becky nodded her head and instantly dropped down to the floor lying next to Tom Tom.

"Here?" She took the flashlight from him and tried to hit the right spot behind the garbage disposal.

"Little more this way." Tom Tom guided her hand further in forcing her to scoot closer to him. "Okay hold it right there." Tom Tom grabbed what he needed and maneuvered into the tight spot.

He bumped her hand and she tried to climb further into the cabinet so she could lower her elbow. "Here." Tom Tom scooted Becky to lay half on top of him so her hands wouldn't be in the way. It wasn't till he was done working however that he realized he had to wrap his arm around her to toss his tools toward the tool box.

"Done?" Becky asked extremely aware of her proximity to the handsome young biker.

"Umm, yeah." Tom Tom struggled to say as he looked down and his eyes went directly down Becky's shirt.

Becky attempted to scoot out which forced her to rub her ass right over Tom Tom's crotch before she was able to duck her head out from beneath the cabinet and stand, her legs on either side of Tom Tom.

He took the chance to stare at her ass while she adjusted her wet tank top. She turned around and held her own arm out helping him up this time.

He quickly looked away when their eyes met and turned to the sink turning the water on and testing that the new seal would hold at full blast.

"All set then." He turned the water off and started packing up his tools.

"Thank you, I appreciate it. I honestly never actually asked Gabby for someone to come over here."

"Hap sent me actually. Don't worry about it. You said your AC didn't work either, let me take a look at it." He grabbed his tool box and headed into the living room not giving Becky a chance to say no. "What's wrong with it?"

"It doesn't work at all. It won't turn on, nothing lights up." Becky shrugged her shoulders and sat on the arm of the couch while Tom Tom squatted down to take a look at the unit. He plugged it in and attempted to turn it on but nothing happened.

"Becky, how much longer you plan on staying here?" He tore the plug out of the wall and stood back up disgusted with the unit. "I know you can afford to move now." He added without mentioning his part in getting her child support.

"I've got five months left on the lease, I'll move as soon as I can. I want Suzie in a better school district when she starts kindergarten anyway."

Tom Tom swiped a hand through his hair and sighed. "Alright, I don't have what I'm gonna need for this, I'll have to come back. Anything else in this place need fixed?"

"I have Suzie's window nailed shut because the locks don't work." She looked down slightly embarrassed.

Tom Tom immediately strode past her to the bedrooms and opened the door with a wooden 'Suzie' sign hanging on it. Suzie looked up from the stickers she was adding to a drawing.

"Tom Tom, do you need my help now?"

"No Suzie, just want to look at your window." The little girls room was stifling hot even with the fan blowing full speed in the corner.

"Are you going to make it open?" Suzie got up and watched him look at and measure the locks on the window.

"Suzie." Becky called her name and put her finger to her lips to silence the young girl. Suzie's head dropped and she sat back down at her abandoned spot on the floor.

"I can put new locks on there. I'll even add stoppers so it can only open a few inches. Why didn't Casper ever fix that?" Tom Tom stepped over Suzie and walked back out of the room leaving the door open.

"I never told him, they don't really come here to hang out." Becky followed him out to the living room. "Thanks Tom." Becky smiled.

"Tom Tom." He chuckled.

"Do I really have to say it twice?" Becky smiled bigger.

"Well, my names not Tom."

"Oh…okay." Becky sounded completely confused as she followed Tom Tom to the door.

"You gonna be around tomorrow evening?"

"Yeah, I can be."

"Alright, I'll be back then to fix the rest of this stuff. Anything else need to be looked at?"

"No" Becky shook her head.

"Alright, I'll be back."

"Tom Tom wait!" Suzie came running into the living room. "Here, I drew this for you." She proudly held up a picture that he took and examined. He assumed the man holding a tool in one hand and a tool box in the other was him. She had very carefully attempted to write 'thank you' on the top although it was horribly misspelled. He smiled anyway and squatted down to the little girl.

"Thank you Suzie." The little girl beamed as he stood back up and left with one more smile to Becky.

* * *

"Hey Hap." Casper came home to find his father in law putting a load of sheets in the washer. "She throw up?"

"Nah, just sweating something awful. Gave her a bath. Nurse said it was just a 24 hour thing."

"Talking to school nurses?" Casper couldn't help the smirk that crossed his lips. The glare Happy gave him made him shiver involuntarily. "You want to leave I'll tag in."

"No reason for the both of us to be exposed." Hap shrugged and closed the door on the washer.

"I don't mind." Casper shrugged. "She's my kid after all." Happy's eyes flared and he walked out of the laundry room purposely bashing into Casper's shoulder with his own. Casper swallowed back his immediate panic. How the hell had he pissed the man off? No one wanted to take care of a six year old with the stomach flu!

"I appreciate your help though." Casper called out but Happy ignored him, bounding back up the stairs. "Fuck." He whispered under his breath and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket, heading to the backyard as he dialed his wife's number.

"Youth counseling, this is Gabby." His wife answered her work phone.

"Umm Gabs…" Gabby immediately panicked, she hadn't taken the pregnancy test yet, she couldn't, not alone, and if he was calling for results… "I think I pissed your dad off." He finally admitted.

"Oh…okay." Gabby let out a huge, silent, sigh of relief and leaned back in her chair.

"Okay?!" Casper nearly cried out. "Not okay, I don't even know what I did! I offered to take Kristen off his hands and he said no and then he got all….'Happy' on me." Casper whispered into the phone moving further into the backyard.

Gabby smiled at her husband's pleading tone. "Just leave him be. He offered to pick Kristen up, he needs this."

"He needs this? He needs to what, break something on me?" Casper backed up to the fence and leaned against it so he could look up at the second story windows.

"Just leave him be Casper." Gabby hung up the phone and picked up the picture of her family off her desk. Happy holding Kristen on his hip, Casper cradling Mathew in his arms; she had taken it the day they brought Mathew home from the hospital, Charlene and Vivica had put together a welcome home party at the house.

Gabby remembered her father's admission to her when Kristen was born. She had had horrible postpartum depression and Happy had moved in to help out for a few weeks. He caught her crying one morning while holding Kristen. She had broken down completely telling him that she didn't know what she was doing, that she had no idea how to be a mother. Happy had taken Kristen out of her arms and set her in the crib before kneeling in front of her. 'That girl is gonna change your whole life Gabby, few more weeks and you won't be able to imagine your life without her.' She had nodded her head simply to appease him but he had grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly. 'Gabby, when I lost you…those four years…I lost myself. I became another man, I lost a piece of my soul. I never got it back, closest I get is being here with you and that beautiful baby.'

She hadn't understood what he meant at first but then she started remembering his visits. He had always come to see her when he was around for club business, and it was always after club business that he made the time for her. She used to think that it was because the club was more important, but that wasn't it. Happy used his time with her to get over what he did for the club. The worse the job he got called in to do the more time he spent with her.

Last week her father had killed a man in cold blood, now he was taking care of his sick granddaughter. Happy wasn't a bad man. He had different values and morals, and a wicked skill of compartmentalizing, but he still needed his own time to decompress.

* * *

Gabby had to bite her lip when she got home from work and discovered her husband still outside in the backyard. He saw her through the window and nodded for her to come outside. She smirked and nodded for him to come in. She watched him look up at the second story windows and then square his shoulders and walk to the door.

She opened it for him and he kissed her cheek. "Hey love."

"Hey." She smiled.

"Mathew?"

"In his room." He grinned at her answer and pulled her outside kissing her deeply.

"So?" Casper held both her hands.

"So?" Gabby asked confused.

"So did you take the test?"

"No." Gabby shook her head and tried to pull away.

"You want me with you?"

Gabby looked over his shoulder to the swing set. "I got my period."

"Oh." Casper couldn't help the disappointment. If it hadn't been for the fact that she was so late he wouldn't have gotten his hopes up.

"No, no 'oh.' You promised." Gabby's eyes filled with tears when she looked back at him.

"Sorry, no, love, I'm sorry I didn't mean it that way." Casper kissed her forehead and dried her cheeks with his thumbs.

"What's going on?" Hap opened the door and again glared at Casper when he saw his daughter in tears. "Gabby, sweetheart?" He pushed Casper aside and held her face in both of his large hands. "What is it?"

"Nothing. I'm fine." Happy continued to stare at her but she put a hand over his heart. "I'm okay dad, really. Just…emotional." She hinted that she was pmsing and that seemed to calm Hap down just a fraction. "How's Kristen?"

"Good, want's soup." Gabby nodded her head and brushed Happy's hands off her as she went back inside to make her sick daughter soup.

"This morning you couldn't wait to talk to her, now she's back here crying?" Hap turned to Casper and he took a step back.

He was supposed to keep their trying a secret, but if he died right now there would be no baby. "She ah, WE thought maybe she was pregnant. But she's not…"

Happy's face went completely blank for a second and he looked at Gabby through the window. "She's not?" He clarified.

"For sure not…she was late so we thought….but she's not." Casper took a deep breath in and held it.

Happy nodded his head and stalked back inside the house. Casper watched him lay a hand on her back and kiss the top of her head. Gabby smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. Casper stayed outside till Happy headed up the stairs with a bowl of soup.

"Hey." He greeted staying put at the door.

"Hey." She responded, her voice still just a tad bit sad.

He walked up and gave her a tight hug. "I love you."

"Love you too." She mumbled into his chest and gripped him closely.

* * *

"You want a beer pres?" Tony asked as the older man finally made his way out of the chapel.

"No, I'm heading home for the night. You boys have fun." Chris shook his head at Bull, getting his own personal pole dance by a new sweet butt and the prospect, supposedly cleaning the bar but very much enjoying the show.

"Tom Tom." Chris clapped his hand down on the man's shoulder. "All you boys and your computers."

"It's an Ipad Pres., you know anything about fixing air conditioners?" He looked up at Chris.

"Nope." Chris smiled, he had heard from Vin that Happy was playing matchmaker again with his boys. "Good luck with that." Chris walked out chuckling just as the sweet butt made her way off the pedestal and into Bull's lap.

Tom Tom rolled his eyes. It was a god damn Tuesday night, not a party. He didn't mind a lap dance or blow job in the bar but Bull was fucking the shit out of the sweet butt not five feet from him. Tom Tom gave up on the research and tossed the borrowed Ipad back in Casper's tech corner before heading back to his dorm. He really needed to think about getting his own place; he was too old to be living in a dorm.

"Turning in already?" Bull pushed Tom Tom's door open and leaned against the frame.

"It's fucking 2 am man. I got a full shift on the bulldozer tomorrow." Tom Tom continued pulling things out of his pockets and throwing them on the dresser top.

"Seriously? You're getting fucking old man." Bull scoffed.

"I'm getting fucking responsible." Tom Tom mumbled.

"What's that?" Bull shoved off the door frame and walked into the room.

"What's what?"

"This." Bull snagged Suzie's drawing off the dresser and unfolded it. "Oh you have got to be fucking kidding me." Bull started laughing and held the picture behind him when Tom Tom went to grab for it. "Tell me you at least fucked the bitch Tom Tom."

"Hap sent me over there to fix her sink. I ain't fucking Becky." Tom Tom grew angry.

"Then you won't mind if I just chuck the picture?" Bull started to ball it up.

"Give me back the fucking picture." Tom Tom grabbed for it again and then lost patients throwing Bull up against the wall.

"Dude, chill! Take it." Bull dropped the crumpled up paper and Tom Tom let him go and grabbed it off the floor. "Pussy whipped before you get the pussy man." Bull mumbled and straightened his cut before walking out of the room.

Tom Tom didn't go after him. The man was a prick, and a coward. He'd been a cocky bastard as a prospect but it turned out he was mostly all talk. Tom Tom sat on the edge of his bed and smoothed the picture out. He wasn't pussy whipped. He didn't even want the damn drawing. But it was his. How dare Bull come in his room and touch his stuff.

At least that's what he told himself as he laid the picture out on his nightstand and stripped for a shower.

* * *

"Hey sweetie, how you feeling?" Gabby felt her daughter's forehead.

"Better." Kristen mumbled.

"She didn't throw up all night." Happy added from the pile of stuffed animals he had deemed comfortable enough to sleep on last night.

"Good. You want to try to go to school?" Kristen nodded her head. "Okay, go hop in the shower. Dad's making breakfast.

Kristen climbed out of bed and walked slowly into the adjoined bathroom.

"How are you feeling?" She turned to Hap on the floor and tried to hide a smirk at her tough biker father lying on stuffed animal, his head on a pink and white unicorn. She reached her hand out to help him up as her resolve started to crack.

"I'm fine. I don't get sick." He saw the smirk and yanked her down, caught her, and tucked her into his bare chest. "How are you?"

She wrapped an arm around him and squeezed tightly, burying her head in his neck. He squeezed back and smoothed her hair down till she finally sat up.

"I'm okay. Casper wasn't supposed to tell you." She glanced down at the rows and rows of smiley faces on his bare torso but resisted tracing over them. "Shouldn't have gotten my hopes up." She spun one of his heavier rings forward instead.

"I didn't know you two were trying." Hap shifted and sat up as well, pushing heavily on his hand to get him there. He set off a singing dog and hit it to turn it off before chucking it on Kristen's bed.

Gabby bowed her head to hide the smirk she couldn't get rid of now. "We're not." Gabby lied. She couldn't take him knowing, wondering… asking. "I was late…" She shrugged her shoulders. Happy nodded and ever so slowly stood up cracking his back with a groan.

Gabby smirked again and Happy glared at her. "Not a word." He warned and pulled her up.

"Wouldn't dream of it….old man."

* * *

Vivica made quick work of her normal morning routine. She wasn't mad. At least that's what she kept telling herself as she climbed into her SUV and headed to the clubhouse. She would have gone to the clubhouse anyway. She went there every day. Whether her husband was there or not, whether he was in town or not, whether the bastard bothered to come home at night….or not.

And sure, there were times he was in town and didn't come home at night. There were times club shit escalated and he couldn't call and tell her he wouldn't be home. There were even times he got carried away with the boys drinking and carrying on and crashed at the clubhouse.

And she was never mad when any of those things happened. She was never annoyed. Never nagged him or tried to get back at him or held a grudge. She would never admit to occasionally bribing him to come home early. It didn't take much to do that these days. She could practically taste his retirement.

Vivica squared her shoulders as she parked the SUV in front of the clubhouse and prepared to go inside. Even if Chris had gotten handsy with a sweet butt last night, after many many drinks, the girls wouldn't dare let her know. She just hoped she didn't have to walk in and see the passed out evidence.

"Morning Viv." Harry acknowledged her from the couch.

"Harry." Vivica smiled at him. She looked around the clubhouse but saw neither her old man nor any evidence of why he hadn't come home to her last night.

"Vivica…ma'am, you want coffee?" Tony stopped dead with the coffee pot when he saw her.

"No Tony, thanks." She gave the nervous young man a smile as well. "Just looking for my old man." She added casually.

"He hasn't been here yet. Breakfast while you wait?" Tony offered holding the coffee pot up again.

"He didn't spend the night?" Vivica asked confused. "When is he due back?"

"Back from where?" Tony asked, also now confused.

"From wherever he was last night." Vivica couldn't help but snap.

"What the fuck you do?" Tom Tom came into the bar buttoning his work shirt and slapped Tony upside the head. "Get me coffee and stop pissing off Viv." Tony nodded and quickly grabbed a mug from under the bar and filled it. He looked between Vivica and Tom Tom before scurrying away to refill Harry's mug before escaping to the kitchen.

"Do you know where Chris is?" Vivica put pleasantries aside and asked outright.

Tom Tom paused mid sip. "No, but he's usually here around now."

"Where was he last night?"

Tom Tom set his coffee down all together. "Chris went home last night Viv, headed out 'round 1:30 or so. Me and Bull both saw him go, Tony too."

"He said he was going home?" Vivica asked sternly.

"Yeah Viv, I swear. He was in the chapel late, came out, said he was headed home. Didn't even have a night cap."

"Tom Tom he never came home." Vivica shook her head, her anger switching to worry in an instant.

Tom Tom ran a hand over his head. "Did you call him?" He didn't want to ask if there was anywhere else Chris would have gone.

"This morning but it went to voicemail." Vivica was doing nothing to hide her panic now.

Tom Tom pulled out his phone and dialed his president. Even if Chris was avoiding his old lady he wouldn't dismiss a brothers' call. He avoided eye contact with Vivica as the prepay rang and rang till voicemail picked up. He ended the call not bothering to leave a message.

He blew out a breath and slid Vivica his coffee. "I'll start making calls. Relax, I'm sure it's nothing."

* * *

_So the wish for a kudos button was a huge success! thank you all! (and don't forget to 'press' it again!)_


	9. Chapter 9

_I think I finally produced a successful cliffhanger. For the record **this takes place about an hour after the end of the last chapter. **_

_A big hug to my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle, and to the freak circle that kept me entertained while i agonized over this chapter. It truly did not want to be written, but i got past that block by pushing the parts i really didn't want to write into chapter 10. Clever huh?_

_Hope you enjoyed the replies to your reviews. It was late and i got rather goofy with them after a while. Thanks for reading!_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Vivica practically dove for her phone when it rang. She didn't know the number but that didn't mean much, these guys went through prepays like toilet paper.

"Hello?" She held her breath waiting for her husband's voice to come through the line.

"Oh, umm, yes. This is she." Vivica sunk down into a chair and Gabby came over and squeezed her shoulder. "Oh my God!" Vivica gasped and covered her mouth with her hand.

Gabby sunk down into the seat next to her and grabbed her other hand. "Yes, yes okay. Yes I will." Vivica put her phone down on the table and looked at Gabby with a blank expression.

"Viv? Becky! Get the guys!" Gabby yelled at her friend who raced out of the kitchen and started banging on the chapel doors.

"WHAT?" Bull pulled the door open and Becky stepped back. Happy pulled Bull back with a glare.

"Vivica got a call." Was all Becky was able to get out before the men stampeded out of the room.

Vin and Lenard stepped into the kitchen first and froze; men piling up behind them. Vivica was sobbing in Gabby's arms at the kitchen table. Gabby looked at the men and shook her head. They all knew what it meant.

Chris was dead.

* * *

Gabby took the glass of water from Frankie and carefully handed it to Vivica. She took a small sip and set it down, not trusting herself to hold on to it. "They found him over the cliff, off route 41." They being the Fresno police department, but she had managed to get that part out through the sobs before Gabby calmed her down enough to talk. "The guard rail…some officer pulled over to check…he was down there, his bike, his helmet still on." She sobbed again and Gabby squeezed her hand tighter.

"I have to ID the body." Vivica managed and then hid her face in her hands. Gabby stayed close and rubbed her back soothing her as best she could.

The men were quiet, they all had questions but chances were Vivica didn't have answers, and if she did she wasn't up to giving them. Happy started pulling men out of the kitchen by their cuts, nodding his head in the direction of the chapel. Lenard noticed and helped him.

"Get us if she hears more." Frankie whispered to Becky who solemnly nodded.

"Call off the search, get everyone back." Lenard whispered to Vin. Vin nodded and pulled out his phone.

Bull poured shots, lining them up on the table for the men to each grab when they entered church. Each man in turn took his shot staring at the empty president's chair.

"Chair is yours." Frankie finally spoke, clapping Lenard on the back.

Lenard sighed deeply. He had never sought out to be president. He had been happy as the secretary for many years before the VP had been sent to prison for manslaughter. "For now." Lenard nodded his head. "After the funeral we'll vote." Lenard stared down at Frankie and Vin. None of the three remaining officers had aspirations of leading SAMFRES.

* * *

Gabby held Vivica's hand tightly. Even though Vivica had been asked to go to the morgue to ID her husband's body she didn't have to see the carnage. They gave her a polaroid, in profile, apparently the other side of Chris' face was disfigured, and pictures of several tattoos for her to make the formal identification by. He had already been identified through his fingerprints, plus his wallet had been on him. Gabby couldn't help but assume the fact that he was ID'd as a criminal was the reason Vivica got a phone call instead of the customary in person notification.

Harry and Frankie stayed at the morgue arranging details for the funeral. The wake would be at the clubhouse which meant the funeral home only had to transport, prepare the body, and bury it. Yet that always seemed to make things more complicated.

Gabby took Vivica on to the police station followed by Vin and Lenard on their bikes. The men led the way into the police station, no one in this precinct was on the SAMFRES payroll and therefore no one felt like being friendly or courteous to the bikers. Gabby finally shoved her way between the two large men and spoke to an older officer behind the desk.

"I have Vivica Locks here for officer Sanders, he's expecting her. Mrs. Locks husband's body was found this morning." Gabby said politely.

"I'll take you back to him, follow me." He paused as he came around the desk and placed a hand on Vivica's shoulder. "I'm sorry for your loss."

Vin grunted at the sudden change in mood but Gabby smiled at the officer for the comment and wrapped an arm around Vivica as the officer led them through a maze of cubicles.

"Sanders, Locks family for you." The helpful man said over the wall and left as Sanders stood up and ushered the women into the cubicle. Lenard and Vin stood behind the two women now sitting in chairs; neither man was that comfortable in the station.

"I'm sorry for your loss Mrs. Locks. You ID'd the body?" Sanders asked digging through a stack of file folders.

"She did." Gabby answered for Vivica and squeezed the woman's hand. "You said if we came by you would tell us what happened." Gabby reminded the officer moving the conversation along.

"Of course, yes. I in fact had the unfortunate chance of finding him. I pulled over this morning to check a damaged guard rail on route 41 just pass mile marker 38. Your husband had apparently gone over it. He was several yards down the embracement, he was DOA." Officer Sanders recited the information he had with little emotion. It was obvious to all that Chris was nothing more than extra paper work to this man.

Vivica inhaled deeply but did her best not to let out a sob. Her husband would want her to be a tough old lady, not a grieving window right now.

"Was there any indication of how or why he went off the road? He took route 41 home every day, knows it like the back of his hand." Vin pushed the officer.

"Nothing actually. Nothing was reported. There didn't appear to be any damage from any other vehicles. No tire marks on the road. The truth is unless a witness comes forward this will be reported as an accident, and we don't know that it wasn't."

"So you don't care that someone may have run him off the road?" Lenard snapped.

"There is no evidence of that. He may have simply lost control of the bike, swerved to avoid an animal in the road. He could have had a minor heart attack or been drowsy. There wasn't a full autopsy done because of the obvious injuries from the accident. But I can tell you that there were no bullet or stab wounds. I'm afraid if you can't produce a witness there will not be an investigation."

Gabby could feel the anger radiating off of the men behind her. "Thank you; you won't be closing the file though, right? In case someone comes forward with information?" Gabby spoke before Vin or Lenard got themselves arrested for assaulting a police officer.

"Of course, the file will stay open but we don't have the man power to keep it as an active investigation."

"Understood. Thank you officer Sanders for your time." Gabby stood and pulled Vivica up as well, glaring at the bikers to make them exit the building.

"What the hell was that?" Vin couldn't help but snap at Gabby as soon as they got clear of the building.

"That cop couldn't care less about a dead felon. He wasn't gonna help us and the last thing we need is either of you getting in trouble. The club has people on its payroll that can look into what happened, and you know once the Feds get whiff of this they're gonna be crawling around as well." Gabby calmly replied in a soft voice. "I'm gonna take Vivica back to the clubhouse, get her settled. As soon as Harry finishes the funeral arrangements I'm gonna be busy finding housing for all the incoming patches."

Vin nodded his head, Gabby was right, on all accounts. They had cops they could call to get the file and crime scene photos. Feds would be sniffing around for the culprit in preparation for a war, and hell she was even right to get himself and Lenard out of there before they ended up in cuffs. There really was no point in going in there and demand that asshole do his job.

* * *

"Hey love." Casper greeted his old lady as she came back into the club house from the dorms.

"Hey. Everything worked out?" Gabby took Casper's beer and sat down at the bar. The men had all been called into church upon their arrival at the lot. Gabby had spent the time calming Vivica down in one of the dorms. She didn't want the men seeing her continuously falling apart, but once Gabby had closed the door Vivica had sobbed herself into a near hysteria.

"Yeah, we're doing it all in one day, wake in the morning/afternoon, funeral in the evening. Friday, gives people more time to get here." It was now Wednesday, and the process of alerting charters had already started.

"Any idea on a number?"

"Lots, over a hundred, but not everyone will need a bed. Figure most will show up morning of, pass out at the party after the funeral and leave again in the morning."

Gabby nodded and swept her hair up in a ponytail. "Alright. I need to start making lists. Prospect busy?"

"He's all yours. I'm gonna pick up the kids, Becky offered to watch them tonight but if you need her here I can keep an eye on them at the shop." With three businesses work still had to be done. Tom Tom was on a construction site with Bull; Frankie had opened the garage and was expecting Casper soon. The only thing not in operation was the landscaping business, not that it was ever fully operational. Just a good way to wash money. Take in cash as payment for jobs and pay it back to the men clean and taxed.

"Shit. Umm, no, that's okay. I don't need her here." She did, but she didn't need her 2 year old running around an auto repair shop. What she wouldn't give for Charlene right now, even to just drop the kids off there till all this was done, or have a non-club ear to talk in. "We haven't told them yet Casper. We have to explain it to them; Kristen and Suzie are old enough to understand."

Casper blew out a breath and wiped a hand over his head. "You want me to do that?"

"You and Becky maybe?"

"Yeah, we can do that." He kissed his wife before walking away.

"Tony!"

"Yeah, umm, yes, ma'am, Gabby…"

"Stop Tony." Gabby warned, in no mood for the young man's nervousness. "I need you and the girls to start cleaning. All the dorms scrubbed down good, fresh sheets, piles of towels. Then the clubhouse. Scrub it down good, sparkling Tony. No joke. Kitchen too, clean it up, don't bother scrubbing, I'm gonna be cooking, you can give it a good once over afterwards." Tony nodded his head at the list, Gabby waved him off and grabbed paper to start an inventory of the bar.

"Hey." Gabby felt Shark squeeze her shoulder. "How you holding up?"

"Trying not to freak out over all the stuff to do. Haven't even thought about actually grieving yet." Gabby set the pad of paper down and leaned on the bar.

"Know what you mean." Shark nodded to a group of patches all with phones to their ears. "Too busy alerting everybody to really think about the fact that he's dead."

Gabby nodded her head. "Vivica's a mess; I'm really worried about her. Chris was her life. No kids, no pets, no career…"

"She'll come out of this alright. Chris was set up to retire soon. She's basically rich." Shark grabbed two beers and handed Gabby one.

"Not worried about her paying bills. I called her sister Vicky; she's on her way here."

"Vivica and Vicky?" Shark snorted out his beer and Gabby smacked his arm.

"They're twins." Shark got a smirk on his face thinking of his late president's younger days and what it would have been like going after twins.

"What can I do to help?" He finally offered once the light hearted mood had passed.

"Inventory the bar for me? I'm going to the store later. I need to check out the pantry."

"Sure." He swiped the top sheet off the pad of paper and took a pen out of his pocket.

Gabby started to walk away but turned back around. "Can you take Bull and Tom Tom? I want the dorms empty. Easier to house all the old ladies here than spread them out all over town."

"Yup. Prospect too, if you think he'll be sleeping."

"Probably not but I'll give him the illusion of it. Wish we had more than one."

"Use Lance."

"The hang around?"

"Yup. He's next on the list. Might as well start getting some use out of him. Don't say nothing though."

"I won't, thanks."

* * *

Gabby came home to a quiet, dark house and dragged herself to bed. The clubhouse and dorms were clean and empty. Tom Tom Bull and the prospect had lugged their stuff to Sharks house. She had stopped at Hap's and put clean sheets on the twin beds in the kids rooms there taking down Mathew's bed rail in case they were needed. Thankfully she didn't have to clean his apartment.

She checked things off her mental to do list and added more for Thursday. Vin had offered up his two spare rooms as had Lenard his one, but both houses would have to be cleaned. She would put the sweet butts and the prospect on that. She trusted Tony would keep them in line, and if she had to split them up Carol was her go to sweet butt, clean, around for a while, not a patch chaser, defiantly the head sweet butt. She shook her head at that. She tried to treat the sweet butts fairly, only one had a kid, a teen boy that definitely didn't belong to any of the brothers. She kept the druggies out and kept them in their place, but she certainly didn't treat them like Gemma had. Gabby still resented the woman after all these years, sometimes more than she resented Tig.

She shook the thought of sweet butts out of her head and focused on the work left to be done. Most of the shopping was done but she needed to work on food prep since there would be little time Friday. She would have liked to have arranged where everyone was sleeping but she had no idea how many men were bringing families and how many of those families would need rooms for a night. Vivica would have known. She wished she could at least ask her, she had never organized anything so big or anything at all without Vivica at least helping.

She groaned at the work she had left to do. She was grateful Vivica's sister had gotten in town, though she still felt bad. Gabby wanted to be there for Vivica, but not having to sit with her or check on her had freed up a lot of her time.

She climbed the stairs and peeked in to make sure the kids were asleep before sneaking into the bedroom. She stripped silently in the dark and attempted to crawl into bed without waking Casper, but she needn't have bothered. As soon as she settled on her side he rolled over and spooned her, giving her a kiss on the neck.

"I was starting to think you wouldn't come home." He whispered.

"Just trying to give myself a head start for tomorrow, who knows what might come up." She felt him nod against her. "How'd it go telling the kids? Are they okay?"

"Didn't tell Mathew, didn't see a point, he's only two." He pulled the hair band out of her hair she had forgotten about and shook her hair free before burying his face in it. "Kristen seems to get it, but she's not really sad, so I kinda think she doesn't really understand. She knows he died, that she won't see him again, but I don't know… Suzie cried. She understands, Becky's dad died last year so she's been to a funeral, understands death more than Kristen even though she's younger."

"Thank you for doing that." Gabby whispered and shifted closer to Casper.

"You don't have to thank me for that love." He kissed the back of her neck. "Go to sleep, I'll get the kids in the morning."

Gabby smiled. He hated when she thanked him for doing stuff with or for the kids. They were his kids too; he didn't buy into the mother doing everything. He was fully involved with his kids.

"Love you baby." She said instead.

"Love you Gabby."

* * *

"Gabby!" Becky came into the kitchen at the clubhouse as if she'd been looking everywhere for her. "I've got four hours till Suzie's out of preschool, what do you need done?"

"I thought you couldn't get bereavement leave for a non-blood relative." Gabby turned from her chopping.

"I can't. I took vacation days." Gabby started to say something but Becky put up a hand. "Don't argue with me, it's done. Today and tomorrow. You can't do this all on your own."

"Thanks Becky." Gabby just smiled at her friend and gave up her argument.

"What needs done?"

"I'm prepping food for tomorrow. Gonna be too many bodies here to do anything more than throw dishes in the oven."

"Got ya, all the cleaning done?"

"Finishing it now, clubhouse is done, got the girls at the guys' houses that have rooms to spare. Prospect is with the guys." Gabby nodded in the direction of the closed church doors.

"The prospect is in church?" Even Becky knew how rarely that happened. "Did they get news on the accident?"

"Vin and Hap talked to another officer." Gabby left out it was an officer on the club's payroll. "Whatever news they came back with they took right to church."

Becky nodded, noting but not questioning the incomplete information. She was used to being left slightly out of the loop. She took her place next to Gabby opening an array of canned soup and vegetables for the casseroles on the menu.

"You mind if I skip out and check on Vivica while you're here?" Gabby asked as she pushed aside the chicken breasts she had chopped and scrubbed her hands.

"No, that's fine, just leave me a list. Her sister is with her, right?"

"Yeah, I don't want to keep calling and bugging Vicky like I don't trust her. I thought if I just stopped in there once it would make me feel better." Gabby hated seeing Vivica go through this, hated seeing how much pain she was in. There were times living this life that an old lady worried her heart out about her old man and there were times you could almost forget about the club and be a normal couple. This had been one of those times. The club had no reason to be worried.

* * *

"He said the same thing Sanders said." Vin repeated for the third time.

"No tire marks, no other paint on the guard rail, nothing reported, no witnesses, no other bodily injuries than that explained by the motorcycle accident." Casper ticked off as he skimmed the copy of the report Vin had gotten.

Lenard rested his head in a large hand. He was still sitting in his old chair, the head of the table empty. "How are we on the enemy front?" The men were having a hard time swallowing that this may have been an accident.

"We're good with the Mayans. No problems in months. Talked to Jax, he talked to Alvarez; Mayans send their condolences but insist they had nothing to do with it." Hap spoke solemnly.

"What about the D-27?" Shark asked, arms crossed leaning on the table.

"Nothing. No new tags, no sightings, word on the street is they fled." Frankie shook his head.

"They had Fresno boys working for them, dealers, didn't they?" Lenard asked.

"Two of them...sir." The prospect spoke up a bit unsure, but he had had the most dealings with the group. "Salus and Viper. Salus is laying low, lost D-27 lost his supply, he's looking for new partners, he doesn't cook. Viper's off the raider completely, he may have left town with the rest."

"Do we know they really left town?" Vin asked finally sitting up straight himself.

"Dante and Ace were arrested in LA. Got in a bar fight with a couple of Diablos. They were probably trying to get back in. Red was with them, mentioned in the report but not in lock up. So there's three right there that went back to LA. One Fresno dealer for sure still here and the leader dead. There were eleven men in that house; if they're planning something that number is down to six." Casper spoke up and threw the report in the middle of the table for the other men to grab.

"Six men." Lenard cleared his throat and sat up straight meeting eyes with Vin. "You think they could have done this?"

"All evidence points to the contrary. We can ride around, ask questions, see if any of them stayed. If we find them still here I'd say probably." Vin huffed out a breath. "We gotta figure this out before tomorrow. Patches will be showing up, they're gonna want answers."

"At least we'll have plenty of backup if we do find these guys." Bull mumbled, Shark glared at him.

"I can keep searching online, we have the car tags. I'll look up family in the area too; get you some mothers and aunts to look in on." Casper offered up a better plan than blindly driving around.

The men dispersed quickly. Casper and Tom Tom went straight to the tech corner. Casper got his Ipad into the DUV site and handed it to Tom Tom with a list of license plate numbers and names. Casper opened one of many laptops and used one of his dummy profiles to access certified background checks.

* * *

"I'm back!" Gabby called before she even reached the kitchen. She was quickly tidying up the empty clubhouse as she walked through it.

"Just in time." Becky came out smiling. "How's Viv?"

"Alright. Sedated. Numbly going through boxes and boxes of pictures for tomorrow. I helped her set up a couple of collages."

Becky smiled sympathetically and shouldered her bag. "Guys came out of church hit the computers and then left in a hurry. Casper said they'd have Church again and it would be late." Gabby nodded her head as she threw chargers back on Casper's desk. "Frankie said you should be here tonight when they get out. And…that Vivica shouldn't be."

Gabby looked up then and froze for a second. She had plenty of work here to keep her busy bit it was a bit of an odd request to stay and keep Viv away. Especially from Frankie and not her old man or her father. She realized the implications and blew out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

"Gabby?" Becky took a step closer. "I know I shouldn't ask…but…"

"Ask, if I can't answer I'll tell you." Gabby shrugged her shoulders.

"What happens now? With Chris dead…with Vivica?"

"It's complicated…." Gabby sat down on a seat with a plop. "Vivica will always be club. Unless one of the new officers has an old lady no one will question her place here. She's still queen. Always has been. Since Fresno got patched over." Gabby smiled. "Chris Vin Harry and Lenard used to ride around here, opened the construction company. Called themselves Sons of Zeus. SOA patched them over. Vivica had pictures from the patch over party. Frankie transferred here with Eggs from Vegas to keep the transition smooth. Vivica and Chris were already married. Vivica has always and will always be queen to these guys."

Becky smiled at the idea of a young Vivica. "Frankie doesn't want her here?"

"They're gonna vote on new officers. A new president. Not the kind of thing Vivica is gonna want to celebrate."

Becky nodded her head and sighed. "Days are gonna get tougher aren't they? I'll pack some stuff, pick up the kids and stay at your place. Live in nanny for a while."

Gabby stood up and hugged Becky. "You're not a nanny." She grabbed Becky's face in her hands and looked her in the eye. "You're a sister."

* * *

"Can we really sit here and say this was an accident? Tell all those men arriving that there is no one to blame, to go after?" Frankie asked the group of men. They all looked around the table at each other. No one liked it but it seemed to be the case.

"I think it's all we can offer them. Accidents happen. He's not the first to lay down a bike. Not the first to die from it either. We've exhausted all possible leads." Shark shook his head.

The men had spent all day as well as the majority of the evening driving around to the addresses Casper had pulled up. Those without a task had again gone street level to listen to any negative Son's chatter, but there wasn't any.

Lenard bowed his head and picked up the gavel. "Get home boys. Need you all here bright and early; sober and straight." He banged the gavel but the men didn't move.

"We have one more order of business Lenard." Frankie reminded him and Lenard put the gavel down. It had been moved to Lenard's seat to the left of the president's chair. All the men now turned to look at their fallen brother's vacant seat.

"After the funeral." Lenard chastised the secretary.

"Now, later, it's not gonna change our vote. Those men are gonna need to see that this club is whole without Chris." Vin assured his VP.

"All those in favor of Lenard being President." Frankie put on the table.

The men all answered Aye in near unison. Frankie took a new presidents patch out of his cut pocket and slid it to his brother.

"Elect your officers brother." Vin nodded at him from across the table.

The three men had talked in private and knew who would now hold what position. It was a delicate matter after something like this. The VP not wanting the chair. Anyone else taking it would have shown problems in the club, and that being said; neither of the other two officers wanted it either.

"Vin, be my VP." Vin nodded his head. "Frankie secretary." He clapped Frankie on the shoulder. "Happy." He called across the table and Hap looked from Frankie to him. "Be my Sergeant at Arms."

Happy looked at Lenard in shock for a moment. He had not been privy to the officers' decision and hadn't expected to be asked. Even though he was of the same generation as these men he had only been in Fresno six years.

"I will." He finally said with a firm nod to the head.

Lenard again banged the gavel and this time the men all rose and congratulated each other. Frankie passed out the other two patches at the door as the men left church.

Gabby had listened to the gavel banging and the chaos from the bar. She knew what it meant, the new officers had been voted on. She got off the stool and poured shots, lining the bar with them.

The men all burst through the door in a stampede and Gabby smiled at them all receiving kisses from Casper and Happy.

Happy set the patch down on the bar facing her and she smiled wider. She hopped over the bar and Happy pulled her into his chest for a tight hug.

Being an officer was an honor, the highest honor for a club man like Happy. But it also took up more time and put you and your family in greater danger.

Gabby was now the daughter of an officer as well as an old lady to an invaluable tech guy. That 4X1 inch patch Happy was once again clutching could literally be the death of her, and they both knew it.


	10. Chapter 10

_A big thank you to all my readers! and for all the comments and kudos, you guys are great. _

_Of course, a special thank you to the freak circle, and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle, she really helped me out on this one, helped me stay in character and keep a balance of the craziness._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Gabby was completely and utterly overwhelmed. The wake had yet to even start and men continued to poor into the clubhouse. It was a funeral, not a party; the mood was somber and the large crowd still fairly quiet. Even the sweet butts were dressed and acting accordingly.

Carol was heading up the food in the kitchen, having shooed Gabby away, when Quinn had engulfed her in a hug and insisted she meet Hap's old riding partner Hammer. The other girls were serving drinks and filling plates with food for men that had ridden all night to get here.

Gabby made the rounds almost systematically. Greeting the arriving men, directing the few old ladies where they could go to wash up from the ride. Assisting the non-patches that showed up to pay respects, sending visiting prospects one way or another to help, and continuously making her way back to Vivica who was receiving an onslaught of hugs apologies and words of regret.

Thank god for Becky and Vicky, and hell even Carol, Gabby loved that damn sweet butt right now. Vicky never left her sisters side. Becky was assisting with the rounds, escorting old ladies to free rooms, checking that the bathrooms remained clean and stocked and continuously checking on Vivica. She also showed up at Gabby's side repeatedly to help with whatever she needed taken care of. The only thing Gabby has lost control of was the children. She had no idea where they were.

She had set Kristen Mathew and Suzie up in the construction company's office with toys coloring books and a movie on the Ipad. They had been fine the first time she checked on them. The second time they were just gone. The movie had been turned off, the toys were shoved neatly into a pile in the corner and the kids were gone. She also however could not find her husband or her father and since she could still occasionally hear a shriek of laughter from the girls she knew they were close by and safe. She tried to shove the 'mother knows best' mentality aside and allowed whoever had the kids to keep them out of the way of the ever arriving motorcycles.

And then Casper Happy and Shark walked into the clubhouse with no kids and her heart literally stopped. She must have gone pale as well because Casper was immediately at her side kissing her temple.

"Redwood's here, got the kids love. Take a break and get a drink." She let out the breath she was holding and laid a hand on Casper's flat stomach as she turned into him.

"I'll drink later." She assured him and reached up for a kiss before heading outside.

The first thing Gabby noticed about the group was that Gemma was not with them. She wasn't up to date on all of Charming's gossip but she did know that Tara had finally won the long drawn out power play and Gemma rarely showed her face around the club. She had even turned over the TM office to Juice's old lady.

Vin came running through the lot and skidded to a stop next to Gabby. "I swear I knew they were up here." He assured her with a guilty look. So Vin had broken them out of kiddie jail. She nodded her head in a 'yeah, sure' manor and walked up to the group.

Kristen was already up in Chibs arms, Tig had Mathew and Jax was happily chatting with Suzie. Bikers and children; the idea was uncomfortable at best, the visual was smile inducing and often very sexy.

Jax was the first to see Gabby and smiled at her. He handed Suzie off to V-Lin and hugged her tight before greeting Vin at her side.

"I'm sorry we're not here under better conditions." He assured Vin and turned back to Gabby. "You look good sis. Tara and the boys are behind us in the van, sitting in traffic. Got two prospects with 'em you can have."

"Thanks Jax, how are you guys doing?"

"We're good. Charming's calm. You should come up for a visit." Gabby glared at him. She hadn't stepped foot in Charming since the day she moved out. "Show Kristen where you grew up."

"The house Emily nearly burned down, the neighborhood I wouldn't even drive my kids through or the studio above the barbershop?"

Vin pretended not to hear and stepped forward to greet the rest of the Redwood brothers. Jax hugged Gabby tight and whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry Gabby, I will always be so sorry."

"What exactly is the Sons definition of incest?" Jax pulled away from Gabby and laughed as he greeted Casper with a hug.

"Just sayin', shit knows blood don't matter. So when I see my brother groping my old lady…that he calls sister…"

"And the kid of two other brothers…" Jax added and smirked at Casper as he went on to hug Tom Tom.

Gabby ducked away from the joking and accepted hugs from the rest of the men, even Charles and Box, Charming's only new patches in all the years Gabby had been gone.

Tig hugged her tight, careful not to mash Mathew between them, and kissed her head. "How are you doll?"

"Busy, but alright." Gabby and Tig didn't talk at all on the phone unless Tig was calling for a visit. And the visits were between Tig and the kids, supervised visits. Anything more had yet to be discussed, Gabby wasn't offering and Tig wouldn't risk asking.

Casper must have talked to Happy because both men had stayed out of Tig and Gabby's business. Neither gave an opinion or asked when or if he was visiting. Both also made themselves scarce but available when Tig came to town. Casper was always home but locked away in the den on the computer. Happy seemed to have a sixth sense of Tig being in town and would show up to see the kids and politely offer to leave when he 'noticed' Tig.

"Uncle Tiggy." Mathew called and tugged on Tig's goatee.

"Ouch buddy." Tig pulled his head away with a cringe.

"Give him here." Gabby reached out for her son.

"No, no, we're good. You want me paying attention to just you huh buddy."

"Uncle Tiggy." Mathew answered more enthusiastically and tugged again at Tig's goatee.

"There's a reason on one in Fresno has facial hair." Gabby laughed.

Tig rolled his eyes and gave Mathew his sunglasses to play with instead of his facial hair.

Gabby looked behind her to make sure the other kids were being brought inside and saw Tom Tom staring intently at V-Lin. She was sure he wasn't hearing a word between Jax and Casper next to him. Suzie was tracing the tattoos on V-Lin's arm asking him to tell her what they said. They were written in Chinese and the little girl seemed fascinated by them. V-Lin was laughing as he told her what they said. Though when Gabby heard him answer 'dog' to one she knew he was lying to keep his answers child appropriate.

Tom Tom walked toward V-Lin without a word and lifted Suzie out of his arms, carrying her himself. "Let's give V-Lin a rest, he just got here. We should go find your mom."

"Mommy said to stay out of the clubhouse." Suzie answered him, content to be in Tom Tom's arms just as she was in V-Lin's.

"You can if you stay with me." Tom Tom assured her and juggled her onto his hip as he pushed his way through the crowd.

"…Gabby" Tig called her name for the third time and finally bumped her arm to get her attention. When she finally turned to him he looked her over. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah…yeah, sorry, what?" She answered and glanced in the direction Tom Tom had walked once again.

"I said I'm gonna take him inside."

"Okay. Just get me if he gets in the way." She offered resting her hand on Tig's shoulder for a moment.

Tig nodded and walked towards the clubhouse, chatting away with Mathew assuring him he couldn't possibly get in the way.

Casper wrapped an arm around Gabby's shoulders and walked her inside. He bent down and whispered when they were out of ear shot of the others. "Tom Tom just carried Suzie inside."

"I know." Gabby answered.

"I don't think Tom Tom's ever picked Suzie up…" He went on.

"I know…" Gabby repeated herself.

Jax, now carrying Kristen, caught up with the couple and walked into the clubhouse with them. "What am I missing?" He leaned over and asked with a chuckle.

"Mommy, Tom Tom took Suzie inside." Kristen added to the conversation. Obviously it was unusual if even a 6 year old noticed it.

"I know sweetie." Gabby repeated once more.

Kristen squirmed out of Jax's arms and ran ahead of the group through the club house weaving in and out of men's legs. By the time the adults got through the barrage of men clustered at the entrance Kristen was in Happy's arms.

Gabby distinctly remembered her children learning to walk. She wondered if these bikers realized if they kept carrying the kids around everywhere they will continue to expect it, well beyond the age and size they are now.

She shook her head and looked around. There was nowhere to sit, not that Gabby was delusional to even try. A sweet butt came around and offered beers to the men as they greeted more of the brothers already inside. Jax gave Hap a hard pat on the back when he saw the fresh white sergeants patch on his chest.

Hap leaned over between Gabby and Jax. "Tom Tom has Suzie." He said, heavily concerned.

"I know…" Gabby answered, nodding her head. Jax looked between the two and then at Tom Tom awkwardly opening a juice box one handed and giving it to Suzie.

"Why is that a problem?" He finally asked.

Before Jax got his answer Becky came over from the direction Vivica was in. "Gabby…Tom Tom has my child." She sounded half panicked.

"I know…we know…" Gabby waved her hand towards Caser Happy and Jax.

Jax shook his head and stomped over to Tom Tom and took Suzie.

"What…" Tom Tom started to ask.

"You're scarring people." Jax answered and carried Suzie back with him.

"You okay baby?" Becky asked, not that she didn't trust Tom Tom with her child, she just wasn't used to the idea of it, Suzie however was oblivious to the worry, drinking her juice box.

"Yes mommy." She answered and turned her whole body in Jax's arms looking for V-Lin. "Mommy V-Lin has Chinese words written on him." Jax laughed as V-Lin came over at the sound of his name and Suzie reached out for him.

"Looks like you have an admirer." Jax laughed as he handed the young girl over.

Gabby smiled as V-Lin tried to teach Suzie how to say a few words in Chinese. Becky was smiling too. Casper leaned an elbow on Gabby's shoulder and watched Tom Tom at the bar. The man was staring right at Becky, his eyes flicking to the Redwood man she was watching play with her kid every few seconds.

If it weren't a funeral they'd already be in the ring.

* * *

Gabby was sitting with Vivica when Tara and the boys finally made their way into the clubhouse. Tara greeted her husband first and he walked her and the boys into the chapel to pay their respects to Chris. Jax pointed towards Gabby before leaving Tara's side to go back to the group of officers from several charters in a corner.

Gabby and Vivica both stood and Tara hugged each of them in turn as did her boys. Gabby nodded her head and Tara directed the boys away from Vivica. The woman looked like she was taking everything in stride, but she was heavily sedated and wouldn't remember a second of this day tomorrow.

"You have no idea how old you make me feel." Gabby remarked resting a hand on Abel's head. He was nearly as tall as she was and he was only 15, 12 year old Thomas wasn't much shorter. Tara laughed and Abel grinned.

"Can I do anything to help?" Abel offered.

"Things are covered buddy, thanks. You can find your cousins if you want, give the guys a break." Gabby offered him a job. Abel nodded and tugged Thomas to come a long with him. The other kids had never made it back to the office, Kristen was coloring at a table with another young girl from Vegas, Suzie was still with V-Lin, they had at some point moved from Chinese lessons to a never ending game of tic tac toe. Mathew was sitting in Tig's lap repeatedly switching his rings from finger to finger.

Tara and Gabby sat on two recently vacated barstools and a sweet butt set beers in front of them automatically.

"Well trained." Tara snarked grabbing hers and taking a long pull. "How are things?"

"Alright, under control at least."

"Jax said they determined it was an accident." Gabby nodded her head and took a sip of her own beer. "All the worrying I do over Jax, I tend to push the everyday accidents to the very back…" Tara trailed off, her eyes searching the room for Jax, and then the rest of Charming. Checking on her boys, a good queen.

"You know, Tig talks about the kids nonstop." Tara added with a smile, watching Kristen present whatever she had just colored to the man with a smile. "Do they know?"

Gabby shook her head and sighed. She appreciated Tara's attempts at small talk but it just wasn't her thing. "They're too young to understand. And it would hurt Happy if they started asking questions. Tig's getting more than he deserves."

Tara nodded and patted Gabby's hand. "Looks like V-Lin found himself a friend for the night."

Gabby looked over to V-Lin. Becky had made her way over to him to check on Suzie and V-Lin was practically licking his lips checking out the young mother.

Becky was certainly attractive, sweet butt attractive, without the raunchy outfits. And she had a good heart and personality. No reason to think V-Lin didn't notice all of that. Plus Suzie seemed immediately taken by him, and he equally taken by Suzie. Gabby pushed the worry of losing her best friend to Charming out of her head, at least for today.

"We should start rounding up the kids, funeral procession starts in 20." Gabby realized and hopped off her stool. Tara followed suit and grabbed Gabby's elbow.

"I'll handle the kids, you stick with Vivica."

"Thanks Tara."

* * *

A mass of over a hundred bikes , headed by a hearse and a limo and followed by over a dozen cars and trucks wove there way through the streets of Fresno, a true sight to behold.

Chris had never been a religious man so a brother stepped up to speak at the grave. Vivica was flanked by Vicky and Gabby, each one subtly holding up the Fresno queen.

The men stood solemnly, even in the Fresno heat; sweat dripping down faces and backs, no one made a move to leave the grave site. Even the children stayed still and quiet, taking their cue from the adults. The quick, no frills service turned into over an hour of quiet, sometimes completely silent, reverence for the fallen President. Gabby couldn't imagine what would have happened if Chris had been shot down. How many more brothers would have made the trip, how many more brothers would she be surrounded by?

Gabby and Vicky stayed by Vivica's side as men again lined up to show respect and support at the limo. A few Charters were leaving directly from the cemetery. Vicky seemed overwhelmed by the outpouring, Vivica was numb, and so Gabby received the men. One after the other, thanking them, wishing them safe travels, receiving kisses and hugs.

She also watched them all leave the old ladies and head straight to the Fresno patches, a respectable distance away, congratulating the new president. Lenard looked positively sick at the power he had inherited. Gabby couldn't help but wonder of the future of SAMFRES.

* * *

Gabby knew men had left. She was positive, she had said good bye to entire charters worth of men. But now she stood in an overcrowded clubhouse, and she was positive that there were more people here now than there had been this morning.

She once again had no idea where her kids were and she didn't care because her children would be fine, spoiled with attention. Their father was somewhere in this madness, so was their grandfather, and fuck it, at least a hundred uncles, not to mention a dozen old ladies and sweet butts. And this was still a funeral after all. No one was stripping or getting head. The music was quiet, drinks were being poured but no one was shit face drunk. Gabby had Carol at the bar; she herself was serving plates of food. Not the food she had thrown together yesterday, that was inhaled this morning. No, now she was serving whatever she could throw together from the pantry. Tara was making biker stew as she liked to call it, basically pouring all the different cans of chili and beans into one pot and adding hot sauce. At the rate Gabby was serving it, it had to be pretty good; she would have to remember that trick. Becky was bringing back empty dishes and keeping up with cleaning them so they could keep serving. Gabby finally understood Gemma's obsession with paper plates, but she still cringed at the wastefulness of it.

Vicky had finally taken Vivica home. Gabby was pretty sure the bikers hadn't noticed, Vicky had been pretty under the radar about it. Vivica had no interest in receiving more people, and the dorms would soon be full, nowhere to hide.

Jax Bobby and Chibs were in Church with Lenard Vin Frankie and Hap discussing Chris. What had happened, what could have happened, the change in regime, and any help the men might need to transition over smoothly. Fresno, while the closest charter to Charming had never been a huge pool of support. They had been patched over for one reason only, to control the Fresno drug trade. SOA had seized the opportunity when a large chunk of the Mayans here had been imprisoned. Fresno was the meth capital of the country. The club still didn't have complete ownership of the town and they had to fight new dealers off every day. It did nothing to stem the drug trade going north, and they didn't make enough revenue to financial support other endeavors, but control meant power. SOA had control over the meth capital, that held weight in their world.

In the clubhouse Shark directed Tig to a dorm he could put a sleeping Mathew down in temporarily. He also snagged V-Lin's attention. Suzie was inseparable from the Charming patch, and Shark didn't attempt to take her away from him, he simply nodded his head for the man to follow Tig. Though she wasn't asleep Shark knew her well, she would be as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Tom Tom followed them as well. He had been brooding all day and Shark had come to the same conclusion as Casper, shit was going to go down between V-Lin and Tom Tom. Shark wasn't sure who would win that fight, wasn't even sure who he wanted to win it. Shark wanted Becky to stay in Fresno, and that meant team Tom Tom, But he also wanted the best for Suzie, and that obviously meant V-Lin at this point.

* * *

Kristen walked over to Juice as soon as the others had left to put the younger kids down and crawled up into his lap. Juice snickered; he always got a kick out of Kristen being so forward around the patches.

"Uncle Juice?" She asked innocently.

"Yes pretty?"

"Can you tell me about my grandma?" Kristen asked matter of factly and Juice's snicker disappeared.

"Umm, what?" He stalled.

"My grandma, she used to live in Charming. She's dead like Uncle Chris."

"Umm, well...you should really ask your mom or your dad or grandpa about her." Juice deflected and started looking around the clubhouse in a panic for one of said people to pass Kristen off to.

"Daddy says not to ask mommy about her because it makes her sad." Kristen said quietly, head down. Juice took a deep breath. Virtually the only thing he knew about Emily Duncan was that she was a sweet butt and OD'd while SAMCRO had been in prison.

"Then you should ask your dad." Juice attempted.

"Daddy says grandma died before he met mommy. He doesn't know anything about her."

Juice tapped his heel on the ground. "Why don't you ask your grandpa? Cause…umm… grandmas and grandpas kinda go together." He regretted it the moment he said it, Happy was going to kill him.

"I don't want too." Kristen drifted off.

"Why not?" Juice couldn't help but ask even though he was kicking himself for not taking the chance to dodge that bullet.

"Uncle Chris is dead and Aunt Vivica keeps crying. I don't want to make grandpa cry." Kristen shifted on Juice's lap and began swinging her legs. Juice bit his lip to avoid the automatic scoff at the thought of Happy crying over a sweet butt. No, Gabby's mom, Kristen's grandma, fuck…

The chapel doors opened and Hap smiled at Kristen on his way to the bar. Chibs and Jax joined Juice on the couch and Juice debated telling them what the young girl had asked, luckily he didn't have to.

"Uncle Jax?"

"Yes darling?" Jax dipped his head to the side and waited for Kristen to ask her obvious question.

"Did you know my grandma?"

"Did I what?" Jax asked and looked at Juice for an explanation. Juice gave him a look indicating she had asked him as well.

"Did you know my grandma? She lived in Charming like you." Kristen apparently felt the need to remind him.

"Umm…yeah. Sort of." Honestly the last memory Jax had of Emily Duncan was having sex with her so she would in turn have sex with Skeeter so the club could dig up some dead bodies.

"What was she like?" Kristen asked and Jax saw the flaw of his previous answer.

"Umm…she was…you know Kristen, Uncle Chibs knew your grandma a lot better than I did." He threw Chibs under the bus and immediately got up off the couch and walked across the clubhouse. Kristen immediately climbed from Juice to Chibs' lap.

"You knew my grandma?"

"Aye lass, I…knew her."

"What was she like?"

"She was…nice. She umm…was ah, always…doing things…for other people…"

"Do I look like her?"

"You look like your mommy." He answered and tapped her on the nose.

"Does mommy look like her?"

Chibs blew out a breath and nearly leapt for joy when Jax and Happy walked back over to the couch.

Jax nodded at Chibs as Happy squatted down in front of Chibs and Kristen. Kristen suddenly had no questions to ask the men.

"Sweetie, uncle Jax said you have questions about your grandma. Why didn't you ask me?" Happy said and Juice was amazed by the non-scary tone of voice he used towards the little girl.

Kristen looked down at her hands, Hap got down lower, onto one knee, so Kristen had no choice but to look at him. "Kristen?"

"I didn't want to make you sad." Kristen mumbled. "Uncle Chris died, and I'm sad and I miss him and Aunt Vivica keeps crying. But grandma is dead and I'm not sad, but I didn't want to make you sad."

Happy sighed and Chibs swallowed an 'aww'. Happy stood up and grabbed Kristen, balancing her on his hip. "Your grandma died a long time ago. You never knew her. It's okay not to be sad. You won't be sad about Uncle Chris forever. Neither will Aunt Vivica."

"Mommy is still sad about grandma." Kristen mumbled into Happy's neck. Happy sighed and eyed Jax, the young president knew instantly what Happy wanted and walked away to find Casper while Hap carried Kristen out of the busy clubhouse into the office.

Happy sat down on the couch and settled Kristen in his lap, sideways so she could look at him. "Sweetie…your grandma and I weren't married like Vivica and Chris. We were like…Becky and Suzie's dad. We didn't live together; I just came over to visit."

"Suzie's dad doesn't come over to see her."

"No…no he doesn't. But I did. As much as I could. But my point is that if you have questions you can ask me, it won't make me sad." Happy stroked Kristen's curly hair.

"Daddy never met grandma." Kristen asked more than stated.

"No, grandma died when your mom was 18. She didn't know your dad yet."

"Did she have a funeral like this one?" Kristen played with the open flap of Happy's cut while she asked, not looking at him.

"No, she didn't. Your grandma wasn't buried like Uncle Chris was today. She was cremated and your mother and I spread her ashes in the ocean." Happy explained honestly.

"Cremated?" Kristen sounded out. Happy's heart stopped for a second at the prospect of explaining cremation to a 6 year old.

Luckily however at that point Casper walked into the office extremely concerned. "Sweetie?" He squatted down in front of Happy and Kristen slipped down to the floor, safely sounded by her father and grandfathers legs, boxing her in.

"Am I in trouble daddy?" Kristen asked and reached out to wrap her arms around his neck.

"No sweetie." He hugged his daughter till she pulled back and set his hands on her tiny waist. "You can ask me and grandpa all the questions you want and we will answer them, okay?"

Jax walked in, having been waiting in the doorway after bringing Casper over. "You can ask me too."

"Kristen?" Casper coaxed, shaking her playfully to get her attention.

"Why doesn't mommy ever talk about grandma? She talks about grandpa."

"Well, grandpa is around, grandma's not." Casper answered.

"No…she talks about her and grandpa. The things they did together. She doesn't talk about doing things with Grandma."

Casper let out a small sigh and Happy wiped a hand over his face before leaning forward and pulling Kristen's hair behind her ears. Both men seemed to be at a loss.

"Your grandma worked a lot. And she used to help my mom at the clubhouse…like Becky helps your mom." Jax kneeled down next to Casper; apparently he was more okay than the other two with lying.

"Your friend Suzie stays here with you and plays with you and all your uncles keep an eye on her. We did the same thing for your mom. She used to come to the clubhouse and sometimes she would go on trips with us." It wasn't a complete lie, it just stopped happening after JT died, when Gabby was one.

Happy couldn't help but glare at Jax. Suzie was treated as good as Kristen and Mathew. She had Fresno wrapped around her finger just as his own grandkids did. Charming hadn't treated Gabby a tenth as good. They should have, Gabby was blood, her life should have been what Jax described. She should have had what Suzie did.

"What did she look like?" Kristen asked after a pause, Jax assumed relating Emily to someone Kristen knew well had quelled her questions.

"Well…you've seen pictures of her." Jax started. Both Happy and Casper turned to him and shook their heads. Jax looked confused. "Haven't you?" Kristen shook her head.

"Oh… well… I bet I can find you some. Would you like that?" Kristen emphatically nodded her head and Jax smiled at her and stood up.

"You have any more questions sweetie?" Casper asked.

Kristen seemed to think for a moment. "How did she die?"

All 3 men exchanged glances and finally Happy turned Kristen around to face him. "Your mom came home one day…and found her. She was already dead." He waited a beat to see if that was enough.

Kristen looked at Happy and then turned back to her father. "Is that why mommy gets sad when she talks about grandma? Because she found her?"

"Yeah sweetie. It was a really scary thing." Kristen nodded her head in agreement and hugged her father again, burying her head in his neck and sniffling. Casper let out a breath and kissed her head. "That won't happen to mommy. You won't find her dead sweetie. You don't have to be afraid of that."

Kristen pulled away and wiped her eyes and nodded her head. "Do you have more questions?" Kristen thought for a moment and then shook her head. "Okay. You ready to go home? Go to bed?" Kristen nodded her head and instantly wrapped her arms around her father's neck to be carried.

"I want to say goodnight to mommy." She mumbled into his neck once he stood up.

"Okay sweetie." He rubbed her back and Happy opened the office door for them to leave.

"Hap." Jax grabbed his arm to stop him from following. Happy stared at him, feeling no need to offer a 'what' or 'yes'.

Jax tried not to roll his eyes at the man's silence. "Gabby doesn't have any pictures of her mother? None?"

"No." He took a deep breath. "She burned them. Before I got out of prison. Every last one."

* * *

_Okay, this chapter got a whole lot longer for I meant it to pretty quick so the funeral will take one more chapter to wrap up. Next week, Tom Tom V-Lin goodness :D_

_Keep the Kudos coming, and look out for a Lion Heart one shot coming out in the next few days for those of you that don't have alerts up for that one. I knew there was a reason i didn't mark it complete!_


	11. Chapter 11

_Can't think of anything funny to write this time... hmmm oh well._

_Thanks to the freak circle, and especially my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle I've been bugger her a lot more recently. Don't believe me? follow me on twitter! kiara8921 i discuss future chapters with her and if you read close you will get lots of juicy tidbits!_

_read on..._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Casper carried Kristen through the clubhouse and found Gabby in the hallway leading to the kitchen. She smiled at the image of father and daughter. She stepped up and rubbed Kristen's back and got up on her tip toes for a kiss from her husband.

"Everything okay?" Gabby asked quietly, not liking the look on Casper's face.

"Yeah, just too much for one day. Time to get her home." Gabby nodded her head. This many people, her first funeral, being passed around from person to person each wanting to have a few minutes to bond had to be overwhelming for a six year old.

Casper didn't like keeping what Kristen had asked about from his wife. And he wouldn't for long. But it was handled for now and Gabby had her hands full, she didn't need to think about her mother. Chris was the first death Kristen had experienced. It was natural for it to lead to questions, especially about someone that, while never talked about, was a big weight on the family.

Gabby brushed her daughter's hair back and kissed her cheek. All evidence of Kristen crying was gone, but her daughter certainly did not look happy. "Sweetie, do you want me to take you home and tuck you in?" Kristen lifted her head up off her father's shoulder and shook her head before kissing her mother's cheek. "All right, I love you. I'm not gonna be at home when you wake up tomorrow, but Becky or one of your uncles is going to bring you back here for a big breakfast and to say good bye to all your uncles and give them hugs and kisses, okay?"

Kristen nodded her head before laying it back down on her father's shoulder. "I love you mommy."

"I love you too." Gabby smiled and kissed her daughter one more time and then her husband.

"Becky's staying over still?" Casper verified. Gabby had worked everything out with the club and the kids and everything to be done, but Casper couldn't keep it all straight. He was surprised she could. Damn those women only multi-tasking skills, he was sure.

"Yeah, she's gonna need help carrying the kids inside. If you're free in the morning I could use her here to help me cook. Or I can send a prospect maybe. But I'd rather not…getting them dressed and all…"

"I'll work something out. Don't worry about it." He nodded his head towards the kitchen. "I got the little kids; you take care of the big kids." He referred to the seemingly helpless bikers and Gabby smirked at him, spanking his ass as he walked away with Kristen.

Casper walked through the clubhouse till he got to Shark. "Hey." He said quietly even though no one around him was being quiet. "Can you take her to the car for me? I need to grab Becky and the other two."

"Yeah" Shark smiled and swooped Kristen seamlessly into his arms. She wasn't yet asleep, but well on her way, and she curled instantly into Shark, comfortable in his arms, as always.

"No rounds, she's done. She'll be back tomorrow for goodbyes." Casper said sternly and Shark nodded, kissing Kristen's head and automatically swaying back and forth to rock the young girl to sleep.

Casper looked around next and found Becky, standing between V-Lin and Phil at a table being included in on a hilarious and probably embarrassing story. She was holding a stack of empty bowls and Phil was scraping clean another in between interrupting V-Lin's retelling.

Casper headed over but stopped to truly appreciate his brother at the bar. Tom Tom was intently watching the interaction and the look on his face every time V-Lin made Becky laugh was truly priceless. Jesus that man was well on his way to turning into a creepy stalker. And the beer bottle in his hands wouldn't last through the end of V-Lin's story without shattering.

Casper cleared his throat and walked up to the table. "Becks" He interrupted.

"Yeah Casper, what can I do for you?" She automatically offered.

"Kids are ready to go. You still cool with taking them?"

"Absolutely. As long as Gabby doesn't need my here." She smiled and took the bowl Phil was finally finished with. "Let me dump these and I'll grab them."

"Nah, I'll get the kids. Get what you need, meet me at the SUV." Becky and Gabby's cars were practically communal property. Gabby had a large three row SUV she hated, but easily fit all three kids. She drove Casper's smaller Sonata whenever she could get away with it, or Becky's even smaller Civic. But all three kids meant the SUV. Becky had her own keys for it at this point.

Becky nodded and headed towards the kitchen with the dirty dishes. Under Gabby's advisement she had brought nothing with her today except her keys and phone, both tucked in her pocket. And Gabby had been right; a purse in this crowd would have been misplaced ages ago.

V-Lin subtly watched Becky walk away, holding back any whistle or grin, his head just barely tipping to the right as she turned the corner. Casper grinned and cleared his throat to hide a chuckle.

"V." Casper called, startling the man.

"Yeah?" V-Lin quickly snapped his head back to face his Fresno brother.

"Can you help me grab the kids?" Casper asked innocently and walked off not waiting for an answer.

"Yeah, yeah of course." V-Lin replied and jumped out of his chair to follow Casper to the dorms.

Tom Tom seemed happy that Becky and V-Lin had gone off in different directions and took a swig of his now warm beer, finally joining the conversation going on next to him.

Casper quietly led the way into the dorm Mathew and Suzie were sleeping in. It was the 'kids' dorm, Gabby kept a box of toys and a bag of clothes in the closet. The bed was pushed up against the wall. Mathew slept on the inside, and at the moment Suzie was on the outside, blocking the younger child's fall.

Casper silently pointed to Suzie and V-Lin picked her up. She stirred and Casper swiped the stuffed cat he had given her off the bed and tucked it under her arm. That seemed to be enough to calm her as she readjusted herself in V-Lin's arms and hugged the cat closer. V-Lin couldn't help but smile and kiss her temple.

Casper expertly scooped up his son without producing even a whine and led V-Lin out of the dorm and back through the clubhouse. Tom Tom spotted V-Lin carrying a sleeping Suzie and got up off his bar stool, leaving his beer on the bar.

Lenard caught Casper's eye and nodded towards him, using his leaving as an excuse to dodge out of a conversation with Jax and the Tacoma president. He got in front of the men and held the door open for them, following them outside.

Tom Tom followed the three men out as well and headed towards the shadows between the construction equipment. He settled on the wheel of a bulldozer, his eyes never leaving V-Lin and Suzie.

"You leaving?" Lenard asked Casper in a tone barely above a whisper.

"And leave Gabby here to have a melt down?" Casper joked, holding the side of his son's head against his chest and covering his other ear.

"Good point." Lenard looked back at the clubhouse; Jax was waiting for him in the doorway. He had a sneaking suspicion the Redwood president knew he wasn't thrilled with his new president's patch. "Come get me in ten." Lenard clapped Casper on the back and stoked Mathew's hair before going back inside.

Casper turned to watch him go. "Sure thing Pres." He mumbled to himself and then caught up with V-Lin who didn't know what car he was going to.

Shark was standing outside the SUV still holding Kristen, swaying back and forth, rocking her to sleep. Becky had the doors open and was leaning against the frame, watching Shark and smiling. He said something to her and she blushed and turned her face towards the SUV.

Her blush must have been V-Lin induced because when he and Casper got within ten feet of the SUV she turned a deeper shade of red and Shark quietly chuckled.

Casper grinned when Shark shook his head at V-Lin carrying Suzie. Casper gave him an innocent look.

"You could have put her in." Casper said indicating Kristen.

"I know." Shark smiled and kissed Kristen's hair, continuing to rock her. Casper climbed into the SUV buckling his son into his car seat gently so as not to wake him. He slid the other seat forward and Shark set Kristen in it, propping her against the side and fastening her seat belt. Neither Casper nor Gabby enforced the rigid American safety standards that said their six year old daughter had to be in a booster seat. She wasn't at the weight requirement but she had surpassed the height requirement a year and a half ago. Plus she sat in the third row of a large SUV.

Shark gave Kristen's head one more quick kiss before crawling out of the SUV and pushing the chair with Suzie's booster seat back in place. He turned to V-Lin and silently offered to buckle her in but V-Lin shook his head and gently set her in the seat, propped her head up, and buckled her in, all without waking her.

"Impressive." Shark announced as soon as he had shut the door.

"My sister and her two kids lived with me for a couple years." V-Lin shrugged.

Shark nodded and turned to Becky, giving her a chaste kiss on the cheek. "Night Becks. See you tomorrow?"

"Bright and early. Any special requests?" She smiled and offered.

"Blueberry waffles and cheesy scrambled eggs." Shark decided after serious thought while bouncing on his heels.

"You are such a child." Casper shook his head. He tuned to V-Lin, "You mind riding back with Becky, help her get the kids inside?" Becky paused getting into the driver's seat and turned bright red again, causing Shark to choke whilst trying to hide his laugh.

"Well, I guess, if you…" V-Lin started, sounding like he was trying to not sound completely ecstatic at the very notion.

"Great!" Casper interrupted. "Dorms are full; if you've had your fill for the night you can just stay there. Make yourself at home. Becky will show you around, get you what you need." Casper smiled at the deer in headlights look on Becky's face and turned to leave; giving Shark's cut a subtle pull so he would follow.

V-Lin turned to Becky who was still half in half out of the driver's seat. "Umm, I'm gonna get my bike, meet you at the gate, you lead. I don't know where the house is." V-Lin aimlessly pointed behind himself, nowhere near where his bike was parked.

"Okay…yeah." Becky nodded her head and finished getting in the driver's seat. She reached out for the door and V-Lin shut it for her with a smile.

Tom Tom watched V-Lin jog to his bike and ride behind the SUV out of the gate. He stood from his spot and walked out of the shadow making bother Casper and Shark jump.

"Where the fuck is V-Lin going?"

"Sent him to help Becky, why? Did you want to put my kids to bed?" Casper asked and kept walking inside. Shark looked at him; surprised Casper would call Tom Tom out like that and followed him into the clubhouse.

Casper walked through the crowd till he got to within a few feet of his new president. "Lenard." He called out and tipped his head towards the bar.

"Excuse me boys." Lenard patted a visiting VP next to him on the shoulder and walked towards Casper and Shark nodding to the now empty Chapel. Both men followed him in and he shut the doors.

"What's up?" Shark asked, leaning against the table, ankles and arms crossed. Lenard sighed and collapsed into his chair, his old VP chair, out of habit.

Shark got back up and turned to face him. "Pres.?"

"Lenard." Lenard corrected him. "Nothing's up, just needed a fucking break."

Casper and Shark exchanged glances. Shark looked worried; Casper shrugged his shoulders and sat in a chair.

"Crowd's getting to me too." Casper started. "I know they mean well, loss of a brother…they care. But Chris was a part of us; we ain't had time to grieve. Too much club shit going on…. Chris and Vivica had dinner at my house last week. He taught Kristen how to play checkers."

Lenard wiped a hand over his face. "He was the best man at both my weddings. I lived with him for a month during my last divorce; he insisted I was too old to stay in the dorms."

"Chris was the reason I transferred here. Called to get some brothers to help my sister move my ma into a nursing home. He didn't hang up till he convinced me my place was near her." Shark added and sat as well.

"Chris founded this club. Before the Sons patched us over. No one else has ever led us." Lenard admitted. Casper and Shark absorbed the implications of that. Both younger men had been slightly thrown by Lenard's total resistance to accepting the president's patch. Shark had even been slightly offended. Chris had been the only president, the one and only. For over 20 years. Hell or a stretch for Lenard to follow.

A knock on the window of the Chapel interrupted the spontaneous moment of silence and Lenard sighed before getting back up. Time to face more brothers.

* * *

Becky pulled right into the garage and opened the back door. Two adults and three kids meant leaving one alone, which Becky hated to do. So instead she pulled Mathew out of his car seat while she waited for V-Lin to dismount and walk into the garage.

"Can you wait here with them? I'm gonna take him in and get their bed ready." Becky requested.

"Sure." V-Lin nodded, taking his riding gloves off.

Becky carried Mathew straight to his room and put him down. She pulled off his tiny jeans and button down shirt and left him to sleep in a t shirt and underwear. It was too hot for proper pajamas anyway.

She stopped in Kristen's room and pulled the bedding down, the girls regularly shared a bed, Gabby had asked the girls if they'd like bunk beds but they refused the offer. She picked out thin nightgowns for each of them and set them aside before returning downstairs.

When she made it back to the garage Kristen was awake, and not happy about it. She had curled herself up in V-Lin's lap who was now sitting on the floor of the SUV. Her head was against V-Lin's chest, her hand firmly gripping V-Lin's cut.

"Kristen sweetie," Becky walked over to the pair and wiped the hair out of Kristen's eyes. "You want to go up to your room and get ready for bed?"

Kristen shook her head violently. "I want V-Lin to carry me." She whined. Becky didn't reprimand her for it like her parent's would have, it was nearly one a.m. the poor girl was exhausted.

"Alright." Becky smiled at Kristen and nodded for V-Lin to go ahead and take her in. Becky started to unbuckle Suzie once V-Lin had hopped off the SUV with Kristen.

"I can come back for her." V-Lin offered as Becky struggled to lift her sleeping daughter out of her booster seat in the awkward confines of the back seat.

"I got her, thanks." Becky smiled at him and led the way inside, Suzie hanging on tightly to her mother's neck in her sleep. She took him up the stairs and right into Kristen's room.

"I got it from here." She assured him after setting Suzie down on the bed. V-Lin set Kristen down on the foot of the bed. Becky reached out and took Kristen's hand.

"Brush your teeth and change and you can go to sleep." Kristen scooted off the bed and dragged her way into the bathroom. Becky grabbed her nightgown for her and set it on the side of the tub.

When she came out of the bathroom V-Lin was gone so she set about pulling Suzie's clothes and shoes off and pulled her nightgown over her head. When she had both girls tucked into bed she slipped out of the bedroom into the hall.

V-Lin was leaning against the wall in the dark and Becky grabbed her chest and jumped in surprise.

"Sorry." V-Lin stepped up and held up Suzie's stuffed cat. "Closed up the SUV, found an orphan."

Becky smiled and opened the door back up, tipping her head in giving V-Lin permission to go in and give it to Suzie. He did so quietly and undetected and slipped back out, closing the door behind him.

"Thanks for helping." Becky said awkwardly once they reached the kitchen.

"No problem, happy to do it. Charming doesn't have little kids anymore, hell, Thomas was an infant when I first prospected, used to help Tara out with both the boys."

They both went awkwardly quiet after that and V-Lin started looking around. "Umm, Casper said I could stay here, do you know where I should…"

"Oh, yeah, sorry. Follow me." Becky took him into the den and pulled the cushions off the couch. V-Lin stepped up and helped her pull out the mattress and frame. Gabby always kept clean sheets on it, and a pile of pillows and blankets behind it.

"Where are you going to sleep?" V-Lin asked Becky.

"I'll grab the couch." Becky assured him. "There's a full bathroom, door is directly on the left. There's a shelf full of clean towels. Extra toothbrushes and razors too." Becky pointed out the door as she retreated.

"Wait." V-Lin followed her out. "I'll take the couch. I didn't mean to take your bed."

"No, it's fine. You won't fit on it anyway." Becky laughed. "Besides, you have a long ride back in the morning."

Becky continued out to the living room and V-Lin followed her. "You've been on your feet all day. Take the bed, please. I've slept in a lot more uncomfortable places than a couch."

"You…" Becky started to protest. V-Lin cut her off by grabbing her hands and pulling her gently back to the den.

"If you insist on taking the couch I'm just gonna wait for you to fall asleep and carry you to the bed." He teased and backed up till his legs hit the frame of the pull out. He smiled at her and let go of her hands, wrapping his own large hands around her waist and picking her up. He spun her around and laid her on the bed, crawling over her to pull her further up near the pillows.

Becky looked up at him and licked her lips. He was completely covering her, his hands warm around her middle, his face a mere six inches from hers.

* * *

Tom Tom couldn't help but pace the lot. Casper lived five minutes from the clubhouse. That was five minutes there, five minutes back and two or three to carry the kids inside. Anything longer than those twelve to thirteen minutes meant V-Lin and Becky together. Alone. It had been twenty minutes. He detoured on his pacing and walked out the front gate looking and listening for an arriving motorcycle. There wasn't one. Twenty five minutes.

Tom Tom walked back onto the lot and directly to his bike.

* * *

V-Lin was taking his shirt off when he heard a Harley in the driveway. He checked his phone, he hadn't missed any messages. He peeked towards the den but the door was closed. He wasn't surprised; he had watched Becky working nonstop all night.

He grinned foolishly thinking of the good night kiss he had given her. Laying over her on the bed was too good an opportunity to give up, but he didn't want a one night stand with Becky. He had given her a long sensual kiss on the lips, eliciting a moan from her when he pulled away. He had then given her a chaste kiss on the cheek and gotten off the bed wishing her goodnight. Her own goodnight was in a tone of disappointment. He definitely hadn't misread her body language.

He waited for the garage door to open but heard a knock on the front door instead. V-Lin walked down the hall before whoever it was rang the doorbell and woke the house. He peered out the window, and at seeing Tom Tom, opened the door.

"Hey." V-Lin greeted him. "Problem?" He asked when Tom Tom just stood there silently. Tom Tom took in V-Lin's state of undress and saw red. He looked for Becky, didn't see her, then stepped inside.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Tom Tom asked in a hushed but angry voice.

"I…what?" V-Lin asked confused.

"Becky's not a sweet butt." Tom Tom started in on him.

"I know." V-Lin shut the door and Tom Tom pushed him up against it. V-Lin instantly grabbed Tom Tom's arms and pushed him away.

"You need to stay the fuck away from her. You have no right to come in here and…"

"And what?" V-Lin asked smugly.

Tom Tom responded by connecting his fist with V-Lin's left eye. V-Lin stumbled back in surprise but regained his footing quickly and swung back, hitting Tom Tom in the jaw sending him careening back into the hall closet doors.

V-Lin grabbed him by the front of his cut and held him against the closed doors. "We are not doing this here. Get your fucking shit together." He growled in Tom Tom's face.

"You fucking scared?" Tom Tom spit back and pushed him across the hall into the closed door of the den.

* * *

Gabby was writing down directions to Vin's house for an old lady from Indian Hills. Only they, Tacoma, Redwood, and the majority of the Nomads were staying overnight. Her phone rang and she continued writing one handed as she dug her phone out of her pocket. When she saw Becky's name on the screen she couldn't help but panic. It was late, the kids should be asleep, and Gabby had told Becky she would call her in the morning with a time to be at the clubhouse.

"Tony." Gabby snapped as she pressed 'send' on her phone. "Take Anya to Vin's house." She turned to the phone, "Becky what's wrong?"

"Gabby, V-Lin and Tom Tom are fighting." She paused and Gabby heard a loud crash. "Like, fighting, fighting!" She went on. "What do I do?"

"Nothing, don't do anything, stay out of the way." Gabby hung up the phone and stormed through the clubhouse to the table Casper was at with a large group of assorted brothers.

Shark spotted Gabby storming over and sat up straight, leaning over Juice to get to Casper. "Dude, what did you do?" Was all Shark got out as a warning before Gabby got to the table.

"What the fuck did you do?" She asked her old man instantly. He sat for a minute without responding while a couple of men chuckled. Happy looked at Tig with a 'she got that from you' look. "Casper!" She snapped.

"I'm thinking!" He answered and more men chuckled.

"You're thinking?" Gabby asked sarcastically. "Let me give you a hint. Our house. V-Lin. Tom Tom. Fist Fight." She snapped out the last word and turned to leave as all the brothers at the table leapt up and rushed out of the clubhouse.

The ride took less than five minutes on the empty streets and the bikes were abandoned in a cluster in the driveway as brother's leapt off to run to the men who were now fighting in the front yard. Juice and Lox from Indian Hills pulled at Tom Tom and Casper and Shark pulled V-Lin away. Both men's faces were a bloody mess and V-Lin's bare chest held evidence of future bruises over his kidneys and across his ribcage.

"What the fuck?" Casper yelled. Becky came running out the front door and Chibs grabbed V-Lin so Casper could let go of him.

"I am so sorry Casper!" Becky yelled as she got closer to the group. "I woke up to them fighting. I don't even know what it was about." Casper wiped a hand over his face and took a deep breath. Usually Becky being ignorant of men hitting on her was cute, but he was too pissed right now.

"We got cops." Happy informed the men before turning for the house.

"I didn't call them. Becky assured the men.

"No but I bet half the neighborhood did." Tig remarked on his way inside the house as well.

"Someone want to explain to me what the hell happened in my house?" Casper demanded as cops pulled into the driveway.

The fight was over, the guilty men restrained, so the cops walked over calmly. "We got a few calls, noise complaints, crashes, a fight. What seems to be the problem?" Casper recognized the three officers that had walked to the group; another three had stayed by the cars. Three squad cars and six officers seemed like overkill for a noise complaint.

The officer speaking was Greggs, he was a club enemy. Simms and Hammond were behind him. Simms was a straight shooter, did the right thing, didn't hold grudges. Hammond was on the side of the club. He wasn't on the club's payroll but he was a sympathizer. He recognized the good the club did for the town and looked the other way at most of the club's actions.

"Just an argument amongst brothers, officer. Everything is fine now." Casper assured Greggs, the two men in a stare down.

Simms nodded and took a step towards Becky. She was barefoot in short pajama shorts and a camisole. Casper could hear Mathew screaming bloody murder inside. The front door was hanging haphazardly by one hinge. This wasn't gonna end well.

"You alright miss?" Simms looked her over, not leering but checking for scratches or red marks that would turn in bruises.

"I'm fine. The fight…I wasn't in it." Becky looked back at the house. "The kids weren't either. They were upstairs asleep. I think the sirens woke them." Becky turned back to the officer explaining Mathew's screams.

Hammer came out of the house; his eyes trained on Simms and draped a blanket over Becky, covering her. He walked over to Casper, ignored the cop and spoke in his ear. "Happy and Tig got the kids. Door's the worst of it, and you lost a table." He eyed the guilty men next and shook his head at them.

"They break in?" Hammond asked the group as a whole, already knowing the answer.

"No." Casper shook his head, stepping towards and answering Hammond exclusively.

"Any of you want to press charges?" Hammond continued to force the conversation along. He looked in the direction of the two bloody men, then Becky, then back to Casper. All the men and Becky stayed silent.

"Alright, take it inside. Keep it down. Noise ordinance takes affect at ten p.m. on the dot. Consider this your only warning." Hammond summed up for the other officers and prepared to walk back to his car. Greggs pulled out a pad of paper and a pen.

"I'm afraid we can't let them off the hook so easy. Record shows you've already had a noise complaint. Back in 2016. Gonna have to fine you." He started writing the ticket and all the men started throwing a fit or grumbling complaints about a warning from six years ago.

"Keep it down." Greggs pulled the ticket off and handed it to Casper. "Or next time it'll be thirty days in jail." He threated and tipped his hat before walking off, Simms following.

"Sorry." Hammond remarked as soon as the others were out of ear shot. "All the extra men in town have the boys at the station in a tizzy." He nodded at the group of bikers. "And I'm sorry about Chris, He was a good man." Hammond tipped his own hat and walked back to the last squad car.

Casper looked at the ticket and turned back to V-Lin and Tom Tom. Neither man was struggling but both still had hands on their shoulders ready to hold them back.

"You." He pointed at V-Lin. "Tell me what happened."

"Tom Tom showed up at the door. Said some shit," V-Lin glanced at Becky who was being walked back inside the house by Hammer, "then swung at me. I tried to calm him down. When I couldn't I moved it outside." Casper nodded.

"You." He pointed at Tom Tom and spoke in an angry tone. "Tell me what happened."

Tom Tom looked at V-Lin then the rest of the brothers before shaking off Juice and Lox. "Fuck this." He spat out and started walking to the driveway.

"Hey!" Casper yelled making Tom Tom stop. Casper walked up to him. "You have a problem you work it out in the ring. Not in my house with my kids." He slammed the ticket against Tom Tom's chest. "Don't come 'round till you pay this."

Tom Tom grabbed the ticket and shoved it in his cut as he finished his trip back to his bike.

"Everybody off my lawn!" Casper yelled and headed inside. Most of the men went back to their bikes. Chibs walked V-Lin inside and Shark followed. Hammond was leaning on the hallway wall when Casper got inside. "You got tools I can fix that." He nodded at the door.

"Basement." Casper nodded to the basement stairs and gave him an appreciative pat on the back before heading up the stairs.

Becky was in the kitchen and handed Chibs a cold pack from the freezer before setting a row of cold beers on the counter.

"I am so sorry…" Becky started, stepping up to V-Lin.

"I thought you were available." V-Lin snapped as Chibs held the ice to the side of his face and prodded a soon to be bruise on his ribcage.

"I am…I swear! Tom Tom…" Becky started to defend herself.

"Tom Tom seems to think you're his." V-Lin ground out, not liking being in the middle of some fucked up love triangle.

"She's not." Shark walked in, grabbed two beers and Becky's hand and dragged her out of the kitchen.

"I swear V-Lin. Tom Tom and I aren't anything. Nothing, ever. Not casual, just…nothing. I don't know what got into him." Becky pleaded on her way out.

* * *

_okay...okay i promise Next chapter will be the last funeral chapter. you're sick of reading it, i'm sick of writing it, but i feel 5000 words is a good cut off for a chapter, so i keep having to stop!_

_Don't forget to press my Kudos button!_


	12. Chapter 12

_My obvious thanks to the freak circle and EmeraldJewelSparkle. No way this story would be half as good without any of you. _

_This chapter ended up at a little over 6000 words, my goal was 5000 per chapter, but i really wanted to completely finish the funeral. Which i did, so..._

_(Deep baritone voice) And now the conclusion… _

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Happy headed inside the house to survey the damage. Not as bad as it could have been, luckily they started in the hallway, not the living room or the kitchen, before taking it outside. He headed up the stairs towards Mathew's cries but stopped halfway up. Kristen and Suzie were both standing on the top of the stairs, tears in their eyes, clutching each other.

Happy was suddenly thrown back more than 20 years to Gabby standing on the steps watching Happy and Emily fight. Gabby had run from him, he had lost her.

"It's okay girls." Happy raced up the stairs and knelt on the last one hugging both girls tightly. Both clung to him and he carefully picked them up and maneuvered them through the hall into Kristen's room. He sat down on the bed, each girl taking up one thigh and he kept his arms around them holding them on his lap.

"Did someone try to break in grandpa?" Kristen said through sniffles.

"Somebody crashed through the door." Suzie added.

"We saw cop cars." Kristen added, both girls talking on top of each other.

"Girls, it's okay, I promise. No one tried to break in. You're okay." He smoothed Kristen's hair down and held her head down on his shoulder and kissed the top of Suzie's head.

Mathew was still wailing in the other room but the girls were clinging to him to tightly for him to tuck them back into bed.

Tig had caught sight of Happy carrying the girls so he went to Mathew. The young boy was sobbing, his face bright red. Tig cringed in sympathy and he scooped the boy up in his arms, pacing the room and bouncing him.

"Shhhh it's okay baby." Tig shushed him, kissing and stroking his head. "It's okay, I'm here now, it's okay."

Tig heard the girls hysterically retelling the fight they had heard as Mathew quieted his screams just slightly. Happy comforted them and Mathew screamed again, struggling in Tig's arms.

"Grandpa!" Mathew cried out and Tig held him tightly to his chest.

"Grandpa's here Mathew. Grandpa's right here." Tig murmured in Mathew's ear, rubbing circles on his back. "Grandpa has you Mathew." He cradled his grandson's head and kissed him several times.

"Grandpa! Grandpa!" Mathew screamed and struggled again.

"Grandpa's right here little man." Tig looked up as Happy spoke at the door and came over taking Mathew away from Tig. He instantly stopped screaming. Tig visibly flinched, Mathew had no idea he was his grandfather.

Happy patted his back as he started hiccupping from all the crying. "Deep breaths buddy." Happy spoke in a low calming voice, giving Tig an odd look as he comforted the child. It clicked for Happy that Tig was jealous the boy preferred him, but Happy saw Mathew nearly every day. It was to be expected that the boy would want him when upset instead of Tig.

"Check on the girls." Happy finally spoke to Tig, pulling him back to reality. "Please?" Happy added as if it were a personal favor.

Tig nodded and left the room, swallowing the rather large lump in his throat. "Hey girls." Tig put on a smile and went into Kristen's room. Both girls were sitting on the bed, each clutching their stuffed animal of preference.

"Come on, time for bed. No more excitement." Tig kissed each of them on the head and scooted them under the covers.

"No, no no Uncle Tig stay!" Both girls at once started protesting and grabbing at him.

"Shh shh okay, quiet down, in bed, I'll stay. Okay?" The girls nodded and scooted over as far as they could to make room for him on the bed. Even so Tig shifted to the floor, sacrificing a pillow pet for his knees and knelt next to the bed, propping his elbows on the mattress and his head in his hands.

"Will you tell us a story Uncle Tig?" Kristen asked, Tig smiled.

"What story sweetie?"

"A special story, not a book story." Suzie chimed in and Kristen frantically nodded her head in agreement.

"Okay, a special story…" Tig thought quickly, looking around the room for ideas.

* * *

Shark led Becky to the office, pushed her gently on the bed and handed her a beer, settling himself in Casper's computer chair, feet propped up on the bed.

"You alright?" Shark asked taking his first swig.

"I'm fine. I just feel bad." Becky started peeling the label off her bottle. "V-Lin hates me." She murmured.

"V-Lin just got his ass kicked. He's lashing out." Shark assured her.

"He's not gonna…he's…just…" Becky shook her head and moved back further on the bed getting comfortable.

Shark looked at her and chugged the rest of his beer. "Did you sleep with him?" He asked outright and kept his eyes trained on her.

"No." Becky said shaking her head. "I just thought… he was so sweet and Suzie liked him. And he was good with her." Becky tailed off.

Shark reached over to the desk and set down his empty bottle. He was more relieved than he wanted to admit that they hadn't hooked up. He was all for Becky being in a relationship, but the thought of V-Lin sleeping with Becky and then dumping her because Tom Tom pissed him off…Becky deserved better than that.

He looked back at her; she was now lying on her back, knees bent, feet flat on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Her beer was unopened, balanced on her stomach.

"Becky?" He asked, dropping his feet and leaning forward.

"Men are assholes." She stated simply with a sniffle. Shark smirked. Her leaned over more and snatched her beer, cracking it open and taking a sip.

"Not all of us…all the time. There's some good ones, and the rest of us have our moments."

Becky huffed and Shark downed the rest of the beer, set it next to the first, and propped his feet back up on the bed. He didn't want to leave Becky, and the chair was comfortable enough for the night.

* * *

Gabby got home sometime past 4 a.m. She and Carol had made all the muffins and other assorted bakery needed for morning. She would have to go back early to start the eggs and meats that couldn't be done before hand. She slipped in through the garage and surveyed the damage to her house. Not actually as bad as she had imagined. The front door was dented, so was the hallway closet door. She peaked in the den and turned off the light on Becky and Shark, not at all surprised Shark was sleeping in Casper's computer chair instead of the pull out. The man was a gentleman to the end, to a certain class of women at least.

She peaked in the living room at Hammer on the couch before heading up the stairs, still looking for damage. She peaked in each of her kids rooms. Happy was laying precariously on Mathew's toddler bed, one leg bent, foot resting on the floor, her son was being held securely to his grandfather's chest and both were sleeping soundly.

She was a bit taken aback at Tig in the girls' room. Even though she knew in her head that Tig would never hurt the girls, the very thought of him in here made her squirm. But the girls were together in bed, Tig was flat on his back with a stuffed animal under his head. She paused for a moment, considering waking him, or 'accidentally' waking him, and informing him of a much more comfortable recliner downstairs. She reminded herself that Tig loved the girls, and though he had said unimaginably horrible things to her as a teen, he had never once actually carried through with any of his perverted proposals. She took a deep breath and turned for her own room, leaving Kristen's door wide open. She was physically unable to shut Tig in that room.

She stood in her own doorway for a moment debating on leaving it open as well. "Shut the door love." Casper mumbled quietly but the noise still made her jump. She pulled it closed and walked towards the bathroom, striping off her clothes.

"Tig's in the girls' room." She informed him, leaving the bathroom door open while she brushed her teeth and rinsed off her face, too tired for a shower. She unclipped her hair and walked over to the bed, crawling in with her husband.

"On the floor. The girls begged him to stay. Cops came, they were scared." He shifted and wrapped his arm around her, resting his head on her bare breast.

"Everything settled?" She asked, her fingers instantly traveling through her husband's hair.

"Yeah, everything's good. I'll get you a new table." He added after a moment remembering the cracked hallway table with the lock box the men put their weapons in when they came to play with the kids. "Tom Tom stormed off. Chibs cleaned up V-Lin and took him to Sharks." He murmured quietly, his hand stroking his wife's side.

"Becky?" Gabby asked, still wide awake.

"Not hurt, Shark talked to her. Don't know more." He got quieter as he answered. "Sleep love."

"Can't sleep." Gabby admitted. She was exhausted, but her brain wouldn't stop going over all the things still left to do.

"When you going back?" He shifted to look at her.

"Two hours." She stroked his head. "Go to sleep baby, I won't keep you up."

"You should sleep too." He nestled his head further into her cleavage. He placed a hand firmly on her hip and stroked circled with his thumb. He felt her heartbeat speed up against his head and smiled. Only his wife could get turned on this exhausted in a house full of people.

He pretended not to notice and continued drawing circles on her hip bone. He lightened his pressure to barely a graze and her breath caught.

"Baby." She finally whimpered when just the tip of his short thumb nail touched her.

"We got a house full of people love." He reminded her.

"I'll be quite." She gasped. Casper lifted his head and raised a skeptical eyebrow at her. "You could gag me." He snorted loudly and buried his face in her cleavage to stop a laugh. She used the fingers in his hair to turn his head to the side and press his mouth to the side of her breast.

He gave it a quick nip before using the arm not caressing her to prop himself up. "You don't really want to screw with this many people around love." He looked at her seriously.

She looked back at him, pain grief and exhaustion clear on her face. "I want to come, hard. And sleep like a rock." Her voice wavered and the cliché 'so tired I could cry' popped into Casper's head. He kissed her gently on the lips and returned his head to her cleavage. His hand traveled from her hip bone to her sex. He slipped two fingers between her folds and spread the liquid that had already gathered.

Her hips bucked lightly as he started to circle her clit. He licked the side of her breast and snuck his free hand up to her neck, popping the tip of his thumb in her mouth. She sucked it eagerly and swirled her tongue around it making him groan quietly.

All he planned on doing was getting his wife off, hard, as requested, and hopefully quietly, although that might leave him with a few bite marks. Totally worth it, he reminded himself as she bucked again and nipped his thumb, especially with both of Gabby's fathers in hearing distance.

He slipped two fingers inside of her and let his thumb continue the assault on her clit. His mouth closed over her left nipple and he popped his thumb out of her mouth, leaving his whole hand covering it instead.

She bucked off the bed as her orgasm grew closer and slipped her tongue out, darting it at his hand. His teeth grazed her in warning, but he knew it was a lost cause; he was rock hard and trying desperately not to hump her leg as she moved about and moaned.

He gave in with a gasp when her hand darted down and clasped him firmly. She arched her neck moving his hand and looked back down at him.

"You." She whispered and squeezed his erection

"Love." He looked at her, not nearly as liberated in bed as she was to be okay with the current situation.

"You." She pleaded again and slipped her leg to the other side of him, forcing him between her legs. She knocked his hand out of the way and used the tip of his cock to continue the assault of her clit.

"Fuck." He groaned into her chest before raising himself on his elbows to kiss her. The slick circles were too much against his sensitive head; she knew this and wrapped her legs around her husband as high as she could. The angle allowed him to slip wholly inside of her as soon as she let go of him.

She sighed in satisfaction as he groaned. He started thrusting immediately, his lips still locked to hers as they swallowed each other's moans. He left one hand tangled in her hair, forcing her lips to stay on his and reached beneath her with the other, gripping and lifting her ass just right to send her falling over the edge.

She moaned and fought his grip; he broke off the kiss and held her head to his shoulder. Her teeth bit down on his shoulder and her nails dug down the skin on his back. When she quieted and came down he pulled away and quickly flipped her onto her stomach. She rose to her knees and he growled, bending to bite one perfect round ass cheek before pressing her down flat and straddling her legs. He laid flat on top of her and slipped back inside, they both groaned at the first thrust and he bit his lip, she pressed her head down onto her pillow, both stifling any further sound.

His hand collected her hair and swept it off her neck. He couldn't see his name on her in the dark, but his tongue traced the letters emblazoned on her, knowing instinctually where they were.

"Mmmmmmm" Casper grinned against Gabby's neck listening to her muffled moans into the pillow. He traced a path with his tongue to her ear and sucked on the lobe. "Casper." She gasped, bucking her ass up, trying to get friction against her clit to come again.

"I love you. Fuck I love you Gabby." He repeated it a few more times in her ear as his free hand snaked under her as she bucked once more. He pressed two fingers just above her clit thrusting into her from the opposite angle.

"Love." He whispered once more in a teasing tone before sliding his fingers down and releasing her second orgasm.

"Fuck baby, god." Gabby cursed as quietly as she could.

"Gabby." Casper sighed out her name getting closer to his own climax. He sunk down lower on her, letting go of her hair and clutching the sheets on either side of her head. Gabby slipped her hands under his, letting their fingers intertwine.

She turned her head and he pressed his lips to her cheek. He continued to murmur sweet nothings to her, his lips pressing against her every so often till he reached his orgasm with a choked gasp.

Gabby lay still as Casper kissed her cheek a few times. She loved Casper, she wasn't as emotional as he was, didn't find it as necessary to show love the way he did, but she did enjoy it. She felt she was hard, he assured her she wasn't. They both knew deep down her childhood was to blame, but Casper wouldn't dare bring it up, and she refused to use her past as an excuse for anything. She had made huge strides in showing affection, and once the children had been born it had become even easier; but this, this cuddling emotional overflow after sex was all Casper.

He continued to lay on top of her till he grew soft and slipped out of her, only then moving off his wife to her side and turning her to spoon against him. She fell asleep with his hand absently stroking her stomach.

* * *

Shark woke with a start when the light in the den was turned off but quickly became aware of his surroundings. He blinked a few times and listened to Gabby make her rounds of the house before getting in bed. He loved listening to Gabby and Casper whisper in bed; he loved listening and watching Gabby and Casper as husband and wife. They were the perfect couple in his mind, supportive without nagging, happy, completely in love; even their fights were productive with solutions at the end instead of bitter accusations or name calling. It was something he wanted so badly. Sweet butts were always available to cook and clean and take care of all his sexual needs; but he wouldn't dare lay in bed with one at the end of a long day and talk, let alone do any other couple's activities.

A muffled moan drifted down and Shark let his head fall back against the chair. It wasn't loud enough to wake anyone, if he hadn't been listening so intently he would have missed it completely. Another moan drifted down through the ceiling and he fought the erection that started to rise. He refused to be turned on by his two best friends making love. It was wrong.

It wasn't that he wanted Gabby, he wasn't wishing he was up there, or picturing her and himself together; it was just the idea of it. Making love. He had made the mistake of indulging in that fantasy with a sweet butt in Florida one to many times and had a hell of a time convincing her she wasn't special to him. He just wanted to make love. He wanted to worship a woman's body instead of just taking it.

He was fully erect at the thought and tried desperately not to listen to Gabby and Casper, not being able to stop the images from forming in his head. He looked to Becky, facing away from him now, still on top of the covers. Her little round ass pointed perfectly for him to stare at. He pulled at his jeans but stopped. He scoffed at himself and got up out of the chair, retreating quietly to the kitchen.

He would not sit in there and use Becky like that. He wouldn't use her and he wouldn't listen to Gabby and Casper. Disgusted with himself he grabbed a beer out of the fridge and drank it in the dark, careful not to disturb Hammer in the living room.

* * *

Gabby woke as her alarm blared. She reached out for it, still cocooned next to Casper, but she couldn't feel it on the night stand. She begrudgingly followed the noise to the bathroom where she dug the offending object out of her jeans pocket. She hit dismiss instead of snooze like she wanted and hopped right in the shower.

She showered quickly and patted herself dry, running a towel through her hair as she pulled on fresh clothes. She slipped a hair band around her wrist to wear when she started cooking and tip toed out of the bedroom; Casper still amazingly sound asleep.

She peaked in both the kids' rooms, checking on them and their guardians. No one had appeared to move, Tig hadn't appeared to move. She shook her head at her ridiculous fear from last night, choosing to blame it on the lack of sleep and not her own inner demons. She closed the doors quietly and paused at the top of the stairs. She missed her kids. She had barely seen them the last few days.

She pushed the thought out of her head and made her way downstairs. Life would soon return to normal, or more accurately whatever the new version of normal would be, and she would once again get to tuck her kids in at night and wake them with kisses in the morning.

"Shark!" Gabby gasped and jumped. Lost in her thoughts she hadn't noticed the near permanent fixture that was Shark in her kitchen. He smiled and handed her a freshly poured travel mug of coffee, having made himself at home in the two hours since he'd woken.

"Good morning to you too." He remarked, snorting at her still damp wild hair.

"Sorry. Assumed everyone would still be asleep." She took the coffee gratefully. "Been up long?"

"A while." He shrugged. "Started the coffee when I heard you in the shower. You taking Becky with you?"

"Gonna let her sleep longer. Kitchen's not big enough for everyone to be in there helping. Do me a favor and wake her in an hour or so? I need her at 8 to start serving. Tacoma's rolling out early."

"Sure. Anything else?" He offered, his guilt over spying last night getting the better of him.

Gabby sighed. "Just help get the kids ready, bring 'em to the clubhouse. I was gonna send Tony over but I'd rather…"

"No problem." He cut her off. "Lenard's doing Church before Redwood leaves, got nothing till then."

Gabby nodded her head in thanks. "How's Becky?" She asked quietly.

Shark shrugged. "Men are assholes, she didn't sleep with V-Lin, she has no idea why Tom Tom got so pissed." He summed up last night's conversation.

"And Tom Tom?"

"Stormed off after Casper got rid of the cops. Sure as hell didn't go to my place last night…"

Gabby nodded again and wiped a hand over her face. "Alright, I'll fix that later. I gotta go. Thanks for the coffee." She held up the travel mug as she hurried out of the kitchen.

"You done with your girl talk bring me some damn coffee." Hammer yelled at Shark from the living room as soon as the garage door closed.

Shark rolled his eyes and poured a mug bringing it to Hammer. "You leaving?" Shark asked, seeing Hammer's fully dressed state.

"Vegas came home to trouble. Shit never ends brother." Hammer grabbed the coffee, checked the temperature with a sip then downed the rest.

"Breakfast at 8 if you can stick around."

"Gotta meet Quinn on the road." He handed the empty mug back and stated for the front door.

He stopped in the hall and looked at the den door. "Last time I came through town I coulda sworn it'd be you and Tom Tom fighting over that girl."

"She's a friend." Shark said, looking at the door as well.

"She's a good girl, young. Keep her out of the shit, hear?"

"Yes sir." Shark remarked with a smirk. Tougher the man, bigger the weakness for a pretty girl, he thought. He watched Hammer leave and turned back to the kitchen and his thoughts.

Truth be told if he wanted Becky he could get her. He was attracted to her, liked her, cared about her, loved her kid. But as much as he wanted to settle down he was also scared. He was the first to admit he probably wouldn't stay loyal on the road like Casper. And everyone in the club loved Becky. Sure they wouldn't tell her he was cheating, there was a code, but he didn't want the men judging him either.

He started on his second pot of coffee. If he didn't snag Becky Tom Tom was sure to start pushing up on her. Hell, he had fought V-Lin for her, he wouldn't just pretend like that never happened. Would Tom Tom stay faithful to her? Would he and the others begrudge Tom Tom if he didn't? Was his fear ungrounded, just another excuse not to settle down like he claimed he wanted to?

Two trips to piss and half way through a third pot of coffee Shark heard someone on the steps and poured a mug for them. Casper came around the corner shirtless and looking rough and collapsed into a kitchen chair. Shark set the mug in front of him and sat as well.

"Best house guest ever." Casper mumbled grabbing the coffee.

"Since when do I qualify as a house guest?" Shark asked sarcastically. Casper leaned back in his chair and glared. Shark choked on his coffee at the sight of the fresh red bite mark on his best friends shoulder.

"Shit bro." Shark laughed and set his coffee down. "You might want to put a shirt on. Just you know, before Hap or Tig come down."

Casper looked at him cross-eyed, before realization dawned on him. He reached a hand over his shoulders to his back, missing the bite mark entirely. He blew out a breath and pushed his tired frame up from his chair. "Not like Hap ain't seen 'em before." Casper mumbled and turned for the stairs, revealing the scratch marks down his back. Shark stared at him, his mouth fallen open. Apparently last night hadn't been the sweet love making Shark had fantasized about.

"Woah, wait!" Shark yelled and stood, following his friend up the stairs.

"Not discussing my sex life with you." Casper shot him down in a harsh whisper, glaring at him for his volume.

"But you'll discuss it with HAPPY!" He seethed out much quieter, shutting Casper's bedroom door shut.

"I don't discuss it with Happy. He's seen the evidence." Casper rolled his eyes and threw a shirt on.

"And you're still alive?" Shark asked, collapsing on the bed in disbelief.

"Gabby does it to me. What the fuck is there to be mad at me for? Besides, apparently it runs in the family. Something about her half-sister taking after Tig too…." Casper trailed off and shrugged.

* * *

Becky pulled up to the lot with the three kids in tow and four bikes behind her. As agreed upon, she left the men to deal with the crabby, hungry kids and went directly inside to help Gabby. Tacoma was milling around drinking coffee and eating muffins. Becky spotted a few of the men trying to hold a conversation with Vivica, who seemed disinterested in anything being said. She couldn't help looking around for V-Lin or Tom Tom, and was somewhat relieved at seeing neither. She bypassed Juice hunched over the bar and smiled at Tara carrying silverware on her way to the kitchen.

"I'm here. So are the kids, Shark and Tig assured me they would be kept out of our hair till after breakfast. None of them wanted to drive a cage." She tacked onto the end at Gabby's skeptical look.

Gabby rolled her eyes and started scrapping a skillet full of scrambled eggs onto a serving platter. "I'll follow you out, thanks Becks." Gabby handed her the plate and smiled, Becky smiled back and carried the dish out, setting it next to the stacks of plates and baskets of muffins on the bar. She came back in and was immediately handed another platter full of bacon and sausage, Carol following her out with a huge plate of pancakes.

The women set the platters down and began serving as Gabby came out, a pot of coffee in each hand and started doling out refills till another sweet butt hurried in the door and grabbed them from her. Becky recognized the sweet butt as Angie, the onetime friend that had brought Becky to the clubhouse for the first time.

Angie wasn't a full time sweet butt, she only showed up for large events or parties, not to cook and clean for the guys. Becky was surprised to see her here, but catching the glare Carol gave her Becky understood. If Angie wanted to partake freely in the festivities she had to put in the work.

When the line of men went down Becky filled two plates and sat down with Vivica. "Hungry?" She asked the older woman.

"Starving and I can't eat a bite." Vivica let out a pained laugh. Her sister had cut her off from her Xanax and Vivica had dipped into Chris' weed. She was no longer numb, but certainly mellow. "How are you sweetie?" She asked, ignoring the plate of food and squeezing Becky's hand.

"I'm okay, sad…but okay." Becky sniffed once but tried to assure the woman.

"Hard to grieve with so many people around. Sometimes I think they do it on purpose. So many deaths in this life, boys found a way of coping with the grief." Vivica said honestly.

"Think you're right. But us girls got a pretty solid way too." Becky smiled at her squeezing her hand back and resting her head against Vivica's.

"You're a good girl Becky. Thank you for helping Gabby. Afraid I haven't done a thing for all this."

"It's what family is for Vivica." Becky smiled at her and the older woman beamed at her and hugged her.

"Family Becky, yes. You are good family."

* * *

Fresno and Charming crammed themselves into the chapel after the last of the other charters had left. Jax sat at the opposite end of the table from Lenard and lit a cigarette. Everyone waited for him to begin.

"You know the Mayan's and the Diablos don't get along too well down in LA." Jax finally spoke. "When I talked to Alvarez on your behalf he was intrigued. According to him Ramon and the Mayans on your border didn't know this D-27 group was related to them. That was good Intel on your part." Jax gave a nod at the Fresno officers at the end of the table.

"Mayan's are worried at the premise. Diablos moving north would be a bad thing for them. LA charter snooped around."

Lenard and the others waited patiently for Jax to get to his point. "Apparently Deus was expelled from Diablos for skimming profits. Took a hell of a beating. He left with a small following to start fresh. In other words, you have no Diablos backlash coming for this."

A lot of the men let out quite sighs of relief, even though they had come to the same conclusions. "Not done yet." Jax held up a hand. "I agree with Chris' decision to kill Deus given your Intel. But you missed something. Something Juice didn't find either, so don't beat yourselves up. This info came straight from LA. Xavier, X, the man you put in charge, he was Deus' half-brother. Raised separate, each had their mother's maiden name. Father was Diablos, dead now, brought both boys in." Jax sat quiet and let the men absorb the new knowledge.

"You think Xavier killed Chris." Lenard finally spoke.

"No way Chris laid that bike down on his own." Vin mumbled shaking his head and a few men grunted in agreement.

"Wouldn't take much on a curve like that to send someone flying over the edge. Guy coulda been standing in the middle of the road, murder suicide plan. Chris would have gone straight over trying not to hit him without ever seeing his face." Shark theorized.

"Or had the road blocked. Or could have crossed over the yellow line." Casper added. "We searched the city. They ain't here. You got anything on where they might be?"

"No, but Juice will keep searching. And the Mayans are on this now, if they catch wind of this group they promised to send you word. I wanted to leave a few nomads with you, but Vegas called Quinn early this morning…. We're only a few hours away." Jax nodded his head at the men.

"So, we're just assuming now that D-27 killed Chris? We got no proof and we're just supposed to accept it and hunt these guys down? What happened to a coyote on the road?" Bull put out to the rest of the table. "We were all set believing this was an accident, we find out that a missing guy and a dead guy have the same dad and we do a 180?"

"You really want to sit around and let Chris' killer walk free?" Casper asked accusingly across the table.

"We don't know that's what happened!" Bull yelled back standing up.

Hap leaned forward to intervene but Casper stood as well, slamming his hands on the table. "There's a chance, no matter how small, that we can revenge Chris' death. If you aren't prepared to do everything possible towards that end you're sitting at the wrong god damn table!" He sat back down and left Bull to stand in front of two Charters worth of brothers staring at him.

Bull sat, eyes pointed straight at the table.

"You need to vote this?" Jax asked Lenard in a displeased tone.

"Not a voting issue." Lenard assured him. "We go after D-27. Any help you can give will be appreciated. But we take care of this."

* * *

Tom Tom rushed out of Church and right out to his bike, leaving the lot. He had arrived just in time for church and hadn't said a word to anyone. Most of the men watched him go and a few turned back to V-Lin for a reaction. He pretended not to notice. Shark searched the room for Becky but came up empty, he had seen her duck into the kitchen as soon as V-Lin and Chibs came in for breakfast, hadn't gotten to see her reaction to Tom Tom.

Jax walked over and hugged Gabby and the kids. "Rolling out. Sorry about V-Lin."

"Not a problem." Gabby smiled. "Used to the displays of testosterone."

"How's Becky?" He asked, both of them walking out to the lot.

"Hiding. She hasn't said anything about it. She really liked V-Lin."

"And Tom Tom…" Jax asked.

"Oh Tom Tom…" Gabby shook her head and Jax chuckled.

"All right. I'll keep V-Lin out of Fresno till this shit gets settled." He gave her another tight hug, "love you little sis."

"Ride safe." Gabby answered. She watched the men get ready to go, hugging each other and promising support and quick responses. She tried to block out what that might mean. A few of the guys came over to give her hugs and almost all, except V-Lin, said goodbye to the kids. Gabby noticed Shark swoop Suzie up before the young girl had a chance to say goodbye to V-Lin. Distraction was always a good technique when hiding adult business from young children.

"Hey doll." Tig walked up carrying Mathew. "I ah…well…it was good to see you. I…I gotta head back with the guys, but I thought maybe, first chance I got, I could come for a visit, maybe a weekend. So we could…really talk."

Mathew reached out for his mother and Gabby took him with a smile. "Umm, yeah…." She looked at her son a moment and he tugged on her hair. Tig smiled and pulled the baby's fist away. "Thanks for all your help with the kids." Gabby managed. "We don't have a whole lot of plans. So just, call…we can work something out."

Tig smiled and nodded. He kissed Gabby's forehead before he could think twice about it and then kissed the top of Mathews head. Casper walked over putting a protective arm around his wife and child and Tig nodded at him before walking away with the others.

Tara came over, the boys already carrying the bags to the van. "Bye hun." They gave each other a small hug and Tara smiled at the baby before looking back at Gabby. "Becky's in the kitchen, she's made it her own personal mission to clean every dish from this morning."

"I'll drag her out. Safe trip. Thanks for all your help." Tara nodded and hugged Casper before heading to the van the prospect was driving back.

Fresno stood outside watching the men depart. Gabby sighed heavily and leaned against Casper. "Take me home. Put me to bed." She looked up at him and pleaded.

"Yes ma'am." Casper smiled and leaned down to kiss her. "Come here Mathew." He lifted his son out of his wife's arms. "Grab Becky, I'll pack up the kids. Do not clean." He warned and smiled at her.

"No worries."

* * *

_okay everyone, big sigh, the funeral is over. Chapter 3 of my outline still is not, what was i thinking?_

* * *

_Regarding__ the 'freak circle'_

_I'm sure there are a few of you expecting a rant, but i don't have one._

_I like to stay out of fanfiction politics, so if you liked my story please review, if you didn't, don't review or leave me some constructive criticism. I like reviews (and Kudos), and I love hearing from all my readers!_

_Have a great day and thanks for reading! :D_


	13. Chapter 13

_Shout out to the freak circle, and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle I had a bit of a melt down in the process of this and the next chapter and she talked me off the ledge. If you haven't yet, PLEASE go check out her stories!_

_and thank you to all the anonymous reviewers, i knew there were still nice people out there :D:D:D_

_my favorite was Kudos 3 who named herself that and left no comment. so i got "Type your review for this chapter here.."_

_That put a huge ass smile on my face after a horrible night at work, thank you! :D_

_Set 2 weeks after chapter 12 and the funeral._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Gabby folded sheets in the clubhouse laundry room. Life had gotten back to what was now normal. The so called boring days of the club were gone, replaced by the constant hustle bustle of searching out and tracking down new leads on the once thought solved problem of D-27.

Vivica seemed to be adjusting but she was still very withdrawn. So was Becky. She hadn't been back to the clubhouse since the funeral. She opted instead to watch the kids at home while Gabby took care of the daily goings on that Vivica hadn't picked up yet.

"Hey sweetheart." Happy's greeting at the door pulled Gabby out of her thoughts.

"Hey stranger. You coming over for dinner?"

"Club dinner?" He asked, though he would come either way.

"Whoever wants food, nothing formal. First game on Casper new ginormous TV. No point fighting it, I'm just gonna cook for an army." Gabby shrugged her shoulders referring to Casper's purchase of a 54 inch flat screen for the living room.

"Who's playing?" Hap teased.

"Funny. Dinner's at 7." Gabby rolled her eyes and picked up the now full basket of warm folded sheets to take to the dorms.

Happy held the door open for her. "I'll be there early." He assured her.

"With bells on?" Gabby asked cracking into a smile as she turned the corner. She headed towards the dorms bypassing the main bar and the men in it drinking after church. She could hear Frankie Vin and Shark discussing the game and rolled her eyes. She truly hated sports.

She braved Bull's dorm first, tossing any obvious garbage she found and quickly changed the sheets on the bed. This was the first time since the funeral Gabby had gone through the dorms. She had the prospect clean them again once the company left before the guys moved back in.

Every time Gabby came in Bull's disgusting dorm room she cringed at the thought of ever having given the man the time of day. She couldn't imagine marriage and kids with Bull the way her father had wanted. Shark maybe, well yes actually she could imagine that. Shark would be a great dad, a cheating husband, but at least a great dad.

Gabby chuckled at the fact that it was Tig's fault she had ended up with Casper in the end. If he hadn't meddled who knows if Gabby ever would have had a chance with him.

"Something funny?" Bull asked from the door and Gabby's head snapped up, apparently she had chuckled out loud.

"Just trying to distract myself from the mess. Otherwise I'd cry." She assured him and pushed him with the laundry basket out of her way so she could leave. "You're welcome by the way!" She added as she walked down the hall.

She hit the two empty rooms next, both stayed relatively clean but she knew they got used repeatedly by the guys with the crow eaters so she changed the sheets.

She ventured into Tom Tom's room last. She hadn't seen a whole lot of him recently, the men had all been busy but Tom Tom had to be downright avoiding her. She had briefly wondered if he had gotten back once again with Karen, but Casper had assured her he was staying in the dorms every night, and more importantly, completely alone. No sweet butts since the funeral.

She shoved her urge to snoop aside and looked around the room. At least he kept his room relatively clean, no trash lying around and he actually owned and used a hamper for his dirty clothes. She stripped the bed down, her eye catching a slightly folded over piece of computer paper, marker seeping through to the back of the page. She starred at it while taking the cases off the pillows.

It was definitely a little kids drawing. Becky had mentioned Suzie drew Tom Tom a picture, but this couldn't be the same one. That would mean that not only had he kept it when it was given to him, but also that he had packed it up and taken it back out again after the funeral.

"I can do that Gabby." Gabby looked up once again startled and chastised herself for not paying better attention. She had always been on high alert at the Charming clubhouse, she tended to be almost too much at ease here.

"I don't mind." She smiled at Tom Tom in the door way. He stepped into the room and grabbed the last folded sheet set out of the basket on the floor. She reached for them but he brushed her off and started making the bed himself.

"Thanks…" Tom Tom said hesitantly and shrugged. "You don't have to clean up after me just because I'm staying here."

"I really don't mind, your room at least." Gabby smiled at him as she picked up the basket of now all dirty sheets. "Bull's is disgusting and the empties are used by everyone."

Tom Tom snorted a laugh and finally looked her in the eye. "Are we cool? After…" He trailed off and looked away again.

"After you pummeled V-Lin in my house, got the cops called, and then spent two weeks hiding from me and the girl you were fighting over?" She looked him over, his bruises had all healed and he didn't have any scars. She wondered of V-Lin had been so lucky.

His head snapped back up to look at her again but he couldn't think of anything to say in his defense.

"Yeah, we're cool. But you might want to ask Becky the same question." Gabby leaned on the door jam, her laundry basket balanced on her hip, her best disappointed mom look on her face. "You coming over for dinner tonight?"

"I…Casper said not to come around." Tom Tom decided on as his answer. Casper had barely spoken to Tom Tom and now that his bruises had finally healed he wouldn't be surprised if Casper took him to the ring on Friday.

"Did you pay the ticket?"

"Yeah…"

"Then come. Start the healing. I'm making meatloaf."

Tom Tom couldn't help but smile, Gabby's meatloaf was the best. He sobered quickly though. "Is she gonna be there?" She, they both knew, being Becky.

"She's invited." Gabby shrugged and walked out. "Up to you." She added from the hall. She looked down at the basket of disgusting sex stained sheets. Yup, they were gonna sit in the basket for two weeks till sheet change day, just like last time.

* * *

"Uncle Shark!" Kristen beamed and ran to him as he came through the front door.

"Hey munchkin!" Shark picked her up and carried her back through the house to the kitchen where Casper Happy and Gabby were.

"Uncle Shark I lost my first tooth!" Kristen yelled excitedly and smiled wide for him to see the gaping hole in her mouth. The other adults smiled all having already gotten the same announcement personally.

"That's awesome! Are you gonna put it under your pillow for the tooth fairy?"

"It already is! I'm gonna get it and show it to you!" She squirmed out of his arms and bounded up the stairs.

Gabby looked at the group of men completely bewildered. "What the hell is a tooth fairy?" She finally asked.

"You don't know about the tooth fairy?" Shark and Casper asked in unison.

"Well that answers my second question of how Kristen knows about the tooth fairy." Gabby mumbled under her breath looking at her husband.

"She doesn't know who the tooth fairy is!" Shark turned to Happy angrily, pointing at Gabby.

"No, this is not a 'blame Happy' thing." Gabby came to her father's rescue. "I don't think I ever lost a tooth when he was visiting."

"Uncle Shark!" Kristen bounded back down the stairs. "Look, see, I was eating an apple after school and it came out when I took a bite. It didn't even hurt. Becky helped me dig it back out." She held up the small white baby tooth for Shark to examine.

"Wow!" Shark took it and held it up to the light like a diamond.

"Yo!" Vin yelled from the door, coming right in just like Shark.

"Go show Vin, hurry!" Shark handed the tooth back and swatted Kristen on the butt as she ran full speed down the hall.

"How can you not know who the tooth fairy is?" Shark turned back immediately and looked at Gabby. "What did you do with the teeth when you lost them?" He was completely distressed by the topic.

"Jesus Shark I don't remember." Gabby sighed still pulling ingredients out.

"Well what happened when you lost your first tooth?" Shark leaned over the center island Gabby was working at.

"I swallowed it." Gabby shrugged.

"You swallowed it?" Casper cringed and ran a hand over his throat, a lump forming at the idea.

"Yeah, it was loose and Emily slap…I swallowed it." Gabby cut herself off and tried to cover up her slip.

Happy stood up from the kitchen table and looked at Gabby. She met his eyes for a moment and quickly looked back down, starting to measure out ingredients. Casper and Shark stood quietly watching the two, both in shock over the idea that Gabby had been abused at such a young age.

Vin carried Kristen into the kitchen and looked around, feeling the tension.

"Why don't you go find your brother sweetie." Vin said and set her down.

"Okay. I gotta put my tooth away first though." She darted out of the kitchen and once again back up the stairs.

"What's wrong?" Vin immediately asked, going on the defense.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Happy asked Gabby, ignoring Vin. He clearly remembered the first time he had noticed bruises on her and it hadn't been at Kristen's age. She hadn't admitted it was even happening till she was 16.

"Water under the bridge dad. Doesn't matter." Gabby threw the measuring spoons in the sink and grabbed the thawing meat out of the fridge.

"How old were you?" Shark asked quietly.

"Uncle Vin will you push me on the swings outside?" Kristen asked running back into the kitchen. The adults all turned to look at the innocent six year old girl.

"Sure sweetie." Vin took her hand and let her lead him outside where Becky was playing with the younger kids.

"I'm not having this conversation." Gabby picked up a larger than necessary knife to slice the package of meat open with and plopped it into the bowl to mix with other spices.

Happy swallowed and stormed out of the kitchen to the garage.

Casper kissed his wife on the head. "I'll do the tooth fairy thing tonight." He assured her. "I love you." He whispered and followed Hap to the garage. He eyed Shark on his way out but left the man there.

"Gabby…" Shark came around the counter and stood next to her. "I'm sorry, okay. You…you never talk about that stuff, sometimes I honestly forget you went through it. Hap's so solid with you and the kids and Tig wants so badly to be in your life. Hard to believe it ever wasn't like this."

Gabby glared at Shark. "You have no idea the things I don't talk about. Things no one knows…Just mind your own fucking business." She turned back to the food on the counter, obviously dismissing him. He rested a hand on her shoulder for a moment, another silent apology, and then left, following his brothers to the garage.

* * *

"Hap." Casper tried saying his name again. He didn't dare go up to the man currently kicking the shit out of a plastic tub of kids' toys.

Casper gave up on his father in law and leaned against his cage, resting his forehead against the cool metal. He hadn't known how long Gabby had been abused, and he didn't know how badly. It was something she rarely talked about. She had never actually called it abuse, never talked about being beaten. She had said, on occasion, she was slapped around.

It was when they had talked about having kids that she first brought it up, and only so far as to say that her mother had slapped her around and she wouldn't tolerate her kids being hit. No hitting, no slapping, no spanking.

"You two just gonna stand out here and brood?" Shark asked as soon as he closed the door.

"Shark." Casper said his name in warning.

"Let me guess, mind my own business?" Shark asked sarcastically. Happy stopped kicking and turned to glare at him.

"Did you know?" Shark asked him.

"Hap wouldn't have left her there if he knew. Back off. I mean it. All this shit is a lot deeper than just Gabby and Hap, alright?" Casper stepped up to Shark and used his four inch height advantage to make his point.

"Yeah." Shark pushed away from Casper. "I know exactly who else is to blame. And it ain't the dead whore." He walked past Hap out of the garage around to the side of the house and pulled out his prepay.

"How pissed do you think she is in there?" Casper asked, turning back to Hap.

Happy starred at him. Casper rolled his eyes and tried hard not to huff.

"Hap." Casper tried again, louder, and Happy finally seemed to snap out of his daze. "It sucks Hap, I know it sucks, I hate it. I hate thinking about it. But you didn't know. It's not your fault."

"I knew." Hap said simply and turned to leave.

"Hap!" Casper called, stopping him from retreating from the garage.

"I knew when she was eight. I knew worse than that at eight." Happy remembered Emily's fateful words._ You make me your old lady, you can fuck whoever the fuck you want, any whore, any crow eater, Gabby, whoever the fuck you want, but I want your god damn crow._ "I left her." He walked out of the garage not waiting for a response and walked straight to his bike.

He reached it just as Vivica pulled up. She got right out of her SUV and Happy sighed, he couldn't walk away from the newly widowed queen, he caved further and accepted a hug from her.

"You aren't leaving are you?" She asked.

"No…just stashing my stuff." Hap pulled his spare switchblade out of his pocket and threw it in his saddle bag, his k-bar and glock inside the house locked up already. He cleared his throat. "How are you Viv?" He asked as she turned back to her SUV and opened the passenger door.

"I'm alright." She handed him two store bought pies to carry in and retrieved two more. "Keeping busy." She cleared her own throat and shrugged.

The two walked inside in silence and went to the kitchen.

"Hey." Gabby smiled wide at Vivica and took the pies to the fridge before hugging her. Happy put the other pies away and grabbed a beer, leaning against the kitchen counter to drink it and stare at his daughter.

"Can I help?" Vivica offered, not quite back in the groove of club life.

"Nope, all under control, everything's in the oven. Why don't you go in the back and say hi to Kristen."

Vivica gave her a sharp look and glanced at Hap. "I feel like I'm being gotten rid of." She said frankly.

"Never!" Gabby exclaimed. "I promise Viv, Kristen just has something she's dying to tell you."

"Alright…" Viv put her hands up in surrender and walked to the back sliding doors. Gabby watched Becky give her a tight hug before Kristen jumped off her swing and ran to Vivica jumping up and down while she told Vivica about her tooth.

"Gabby?" Hap tried to get her attention, to say…something.

"I'm fine. I don't want to talk about it." She assured him, her eyes pleading with him not to be hurt, not to be angry.

"I want to talk about it." Hap said in a deathly serious tone.

"I won't talk about it." Gabby clarified and walked out of the kitchen.

* * *

Gabby Becky and Vivica stayed in the kitchen cleaning while the guys went to the living room to watch the game. Tony the prospect was in the backyard watching the kids play; which was completely unnecessary considering the backyard was fenced in and the kids could be seen from all the windows in the kitchen and living room. But the men were all for Tony missing the game.

"Well, no offense ladies, but I think I'm gonna duck out for the night." Vivica dried her hands and hung the towel back up as she spoke.

Gabby gave her a small smile, this was the first club gathering since the funeral, Gabby had done her best to make it informal. Vivica hadn't offered any dinners for the guys and when Gabby planned tonight's meal she'd had to beg Vivica to come.

"No interest in the game?" Gabby teased instead.

Vivica put a hand on her hip. "I'll stay if you can tell me what teams are playing."

Becky snorted. "She can't even tell you what sport it is."

"Yes I can! It's baseball. It has to be, it's spring, it's baseball season. Right…?" She furrowed her brow and Vivica gave her a hug.

"Yes baby, it's baseball season. Good guess. I'm still going. Thanks for dinner."

"Thanks for dessert." Gabby responded.

Vivica made a round of goodbyes with all of the patches and stepped out to say good night to the kids before heading to her car.

"Actually Gabs, I think I'm gonna skip out too." Becky confessed.

"Aww Becks, please don't leave me here all alone. If you leave I have no excuse to stay in the kitchen and drink wine all night."

"We aren't even drinking wine." Becky laughed.

"Yet." Gabby held up a finger and grabbed bottle out of the fridge. "Ask and ye shall receive." She gently swayed the bottle trying to tempt her friend.

"Sorry, still going." Becky smiled.

"You know he's not coming." Gabby threw out there and Becky froze.

"I'm not leaving because of…"

"You didn't ask who I was talking about." Gabby interrupted her.

Becky sighed. "I'm not avoiding Tom Tom."

"If he was coming he would have been here already."

"I'm not avoiding him!" Becky insisted in a whisper afraid the guys might hear.

"Fine, you go, leave me here."

Becky rolled her eyes and went out to collect Suzie. Tony brought the other kids in as well and yet another round of goodnights and goodbyes was had by the men. Gabby and Casper took their own kids upstairs as Becky left.

"It's not bedtime yet mommy." Kristen whined to her mother as she shimmied into a nightgown.

"Kristen." Gabby warned her for the whine and the girl dropped her head. "It's adult time downstairs. You don't have to go to seep yet but you need to stay in your room, okay?"

"Okay." Kristen bounced back quickly from being chastised. She understood adult time meant club time and she was not to interrupt.

"Okay. I love you. Give me a kiss."

"Love you too mommy." Kristen kissed her and Gabby slipped out of the room.

"He down already?" Gabby asked Casper when he wrapped an arm around her waist in the hallway.

"Out like a light." Casper assured her and gave her a kiss. "I love you."

Gabby smiled. "I love you too."

"You are amazing." Casper continued.

"Casper…" Gabby sighed and tried to pull away.

"No, come here." Casper pulled them both into their bedroom and shut the door.

"Please don't do this." Gabby begged him as he cupped her face in his large hands.

"I'm not. I'm not gonna ask questions." He kissed her again. "I love you so much." He whispered in her ear and held her tightly against his body. "So much Gabby."

She let her head rest against him and relaxed in his arms. He held her for a solid minute before pulling away. "I know you don't want to hear me say that I'm sorry. I know it wasn't my fault. But I HATE that so many bad things happened to you. I HATE it. It kills me to think about them." He kissed her again, deeply, conveying his love through the slow sensual movement of his lips and tongue.

He pulled back and sniffed away the threatening tears. "I picture stuff like that happening to Kristen, and my blood just boils." She looked down at his words but didn't try to pull away.

"You're missing your game." She finally spoke in a small quiet voice. Casper held in a sigh.

"Please don't shut me out love." He pleaded with her and pulled her chin up so she would look at him again.

"The things I need to say…they aren't things for you to hear. There's nothing I can ask that you can answer. I know you mean well, but hashing all this out with you…it won't help. Please don't make me."

Casper nodded and kissed her again. She ran her hands under his shirt and pulled him closer. He groaned into her mouth as she raked her fingers lightly down his back.

"Gabby." He shuttered and pulled away and she stuck out her bottom lip in a faux pout.

"Fuck you're crazy."

"I blame my mother." She started to grin but Casper caught her bottom lip in his teeth first, sucking it into his mouth. He sucked till she moaned and let go.

"We have a house full of people. Again." Casper tried to talk some sense into her.

"The game is on, they won't hear us. They think we're putting the kids to bed." She pulled his shirt up and dragged a fingernail over one of his many ab muscles. "And I should be ovulating right about now." She added coyly and Casper grinned, picking her up and tossing her on the bed. He crawled on top of her and started working on getting her pants unbuttoned.

"I know you're doing this just to make me shut up." Casper added as he broke away from her lips to hop out of bed and kick off his boots while locking the door.

"And yet you're still talking." She snarked and shimmied out of her shorts and panties and whipping her shirt and bra off over her head. He shucked his jeans and shirt as he came back to the bed and laid her out flat again.

"You're the one that needs to stay quite." He warned her and took a nipple in his mouth. She grabbed his head and held it to her while she moaned. "Quite." He hissed breaking away and she blew him a kiss. He kissed her deeply and flipped her over, running his tongue along her spine. He pressed his erection between her legs as he worked his way up and down her back making her jump and hiss.

She spread her legs quickly and he pressed gently against her making sure she was ready for him before sheathing himself in her. "Fuck." He muttered at her warmth, pressing his lips to her head right behind her ear. He set a quick pace slamming into her hard, using one hand to lift her hips so he would hit her g spot with each thrust.

She bit down on the comforter as she came, muffling her moans. He pounded into her, allowing himself a quick release in response to her clenching muscles. He rested on top of her till his dick stopped twitching.

"I hate quickies." He mumbled and rolled off of her.

"Not as much as you would hate celibacy." Gabby smirked and kissed his cheek before getting up and stumbling slightly on her way to the bathroom.

Casper grinned and lay on his back a minute before furrowing his brow and getting up to follow her. "You're not ovulating." He stated; arms crossed in the doorway.

"Says who…" Gabby blew him off and kicked the door closed so she could pee.

"Says you getting your period three weeks ago. You were ovulating last week."

She washed her hands and opened the door back up. "We said we wouldn't keep a calendar. I'm in the middle somewhere." She walked past him and threw her clothes back on.

Casper was absolutely keeping track. Having another kid had been his idea and he didn't want his wife stressing over it. And it wasn't that hard to remember she was ovulating two weeks after she got her period. Plus, with Gabby off her birth control it was also wise to know when she would be pmsing.

He wiped himself off with a washcloth and went back out to collect his own clothes.

"What are you doing?" He asked when Gabby laid in bed and grabbed her book off the night stand.

"Gonna read." She shrugged.

"No way. Come on love. Come with me." He grasped her hand firmly and led her back out of the room and down the stairs to the living room.

Shark eyed the two coming into the room. He knew Gabby was still mad at him. She had glared at him through dinner and hadn't spoken a word to him. She hadn't spoken to Happy either, but at least she hadn't glared at him from across the table. Looks between those two were fucking scary sometimes. Although, neither spoke all that much, so it must be a form of communication they developed over the years.

"Move." Casper spoke simply and sat down in the corner of the couch. Shark moved from the middle to the other end and Casper put his leg up on the couch, pulling Gabby to sit between his legs, holding her close against his chest. He grabbed his beer from earlier in one hand and entwined the fingers of his other in with Gabbys' hands on her stomach.

Jesus Shark wanted that; a wife. There was no way Casper knew just how lucky he was.

* * *

Becky held Suzie's hand as she led her up the outside staircase to her apartment. That was one thing on her list when she moved, if she still got an apartment, the staircase needed to be inside. She was still debating renting a house, she wasn't ready to buy, she was getting child support and saving money now, but it could stop anytime, and she didn't want the first house she bought to be foreclosed on.

She stopped dead when she saw a man at her door. No, not just at her door, picking her lock, Jesus. She bent down to pick up Suzie, planning on running back to her car and calling the cops. Or the club, the club would be mad if she called the cops, and the club would get here faster.

"Tom Tom!" Suzie yelled out when she was picked up. The man stopped and turned to them. It was Tom Tom.

"Jesus Tom Tom you scared me!" Becky chastised and walked to him, and her door.

"Sorry. Umm…" Tom Tom looked down at what he was doing and shoved something in his pocket.

"Tom Tom I missed you!" Suzie exclaimed. She reached out for him and he gave her an awkward surprised hug. He pulled away and she hung on to his neck, forcing him to pick her up out of her mother's arms.

"You missed me?" He asked her, squatting down and setting her back on her feet. She reluctantly let go of him and stepped back to her mother.

"Yes. I haven't seen you. Mommy said you were busy."

Tom Tom stood back up and looked at Becky, she shrugged and pulled out her keys to open the door. "Get ready for bed sweetie, I'll be in in a minute."

"She really miss me?" Tom Tom asked still outside the door as Suzie skipped inside.

"Yes." Becky sighed. "She misses all you guys when she doesn't see you. What…what are you doing here Tom Tom? It looked like you were trying to break into my apartment."

"I…well…no. Not technically." Tom Tom stumbled over his words. "Okay look I know that the fight and…"

"No." Becky held a hand up. "I'm not having this conversation like this. Why were you picking my lock?"

"Oh, I wasn't. I snagged the keys from the club." He pulled a large key ring out of his cut pocket. "They aren't all labeled, I didn't know which was yours…"

"Right. Why are you here?" Becky asked differently.

"Gabby said I should make sure we were alright." Tom Tom shrugged.

"And…you were going to do that without me here?" Becky asked leading Tom Tom on to disclose what the hell his plan had been.

"NO! No… umm… A/C." Becky looked at him utterly confused and Tom Tom dropped the keys back in his pocket and bent over, retrieving a rather large box from behind him. "With Chris…and everything. I never got back here. But I didn't forget." He juggled the box and Becky assumed it was very heavy. She opened the door wider for him but he didn't go in. "I lied though…I know plumbing…I don't know A/C's I mean, how to fix it. So…I just bought you one."

"You…you bought me one." Becky looked at the box. "You know I'm moving, right?"

"You found a place?"

"No…but, when my lease is up."

"Oh, yeah, I uh, I figured I would put this one in, keep the old broke one, and switch 'em out again when you move. It's too hot not to have one. Oh, and I got the new locks for Suzie's window."

"Umm, Jesus come inside." She watched him readjust the box yet again and pulled him through the door by his elbow. "Please put that thing down before you drop it." She let out a small nervous laugh and he set the large box down on the floor under the old A/C.

"I need to put Suzie to bed." Becky pointed behind her further into the apartment.

"Okay, I'll ah, I'll do this. Better to do it in the dark anyway…" Tom Tom pointed to the A/C unit and Becky nodded, gave him a tight smile, and left the room.

* * *

"I'll get it." Gabby got up at the sound of the doorbell and weaved her way through the men still in her living room. She grabbed empty beer bottles on her way and dropped them with a clank into the recycle bin pulled into the hallway from the garage for the party.

She glanced out the window and opened the front door, her brow furrowed. "Hey Tig."

* * *

_Okay, so it wasn't my intention to leave 2 different cliffhangers, but the chapter got a lot longer than i was planning...i promise both will be picked up again next chapter!_

_thanks for reading _

_leave me kudos! and follow me on twitter kiara8921_


	14. Chapter 14

_Okay….so just so everybody knows I had 2 HUGE meltdowns while writing this chapter. 1 for each half. So everybody thank EmeraldJewelSparkle for talking me off the ledge, and for magically appearing on twitter when I started screaming her name. And of course thank you to the freak circle who listened to me threaten to kill characters off if they didn't start behaving themselves._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

"Mommy why is Tom Tom here?" Suzie asked as her mother tucked her into bed.

"He's fixing our air conditioner." Becky answered and kissed her daughters forehead.

"Will Tom Tom come in and read a story to me?"

"No baby. But he's putting in a new air conditioner so it will be cooler. That will be nice, right? We can sleep in the living room tomorrow night; we can cover the whole floor in blankets and pillows. That sound good?"

Suzie nodded her head hugging her stuffed cat close. Becky smiled and pulled her sheet up, her quilt having been abandoned weeks ago. Suzie had already turned her fan on but Becky moved it closer to the bed and then closed her door. She and Tom Tom had some talking to do, and she didn't want to keep her daughter up.

Becky stood in the doorway of the living room watching Tom Tom finish up the air conditioner. The old one was in the box and he was securing the new one into the hole under the window. Besides the fact that it looked brand new she couldn't tell the difference between the two. Hopefully no one else would be able to either.

He plugged it in finally and turned it on, setting the temperature. He set it for 75 degrees; the thermostat read 92 in the room. That had to be why she was so flushed.

He stood up and saw her and cleared his throat. "Gonna run up the electric bill." He said with a nod to the now running air conditioner.

"Totally worth it. Thanks Tom Tom. What do I owe you?" She stepped into the room and reached for her purse.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." He shrugged and stepped closer to her.

"Tom Tom, that thing has to be a couple of hundred dollars."

"Don't worry about it. Really. When you move I'll switch them out again and I'll keep the new one."

Becky looked at him and started to fidget. "Thanks." She said again.

"You're welcome." He searched for something else to say and grabbed the window hardware out of his cut pocket. "I could put these on, if Suzie's still awake…never mind, she's probably not. I don't want to…to mess with that whole routine." He set the baggie of hardware on the coffee table.

"I can do it tomorrow. I just need a screwdriver, right?"

"I can come back tomorrow." He quickly assured her. "I mean…but yeah…for the locks just a screw driver. But I told you I'd do it, I will."

Becky nodded her head and sat down. "Okay."

He sat next to her, close but not touching. "Becky…" He started but trailed off. "I'm sorry." He stood again and wiped a hand over his face. "It's late. I should go." He walked to the front window and picked up the box with the broken A/C.

"Tom Tom…" Becky got up and walked over to him.

"Look Becky, I don't know what to say…I'm sorry alright?" He juggled the box in his arms with his knee and she started to grab it from him. "It's heavy." He said to stop her.

"Leave it here. In the closet, no use taking it and bringing it back."

He looked at the closet where she pointed and nodded his head. She made sure he had a good grip on the box before letting go and opening the closet door and clearing a spot on the floor.

He set it down and stood back up, his hands now free he shoved them back in his pockets. Jesus he was always nervous around Becky.

"I'm just gonna go." Tom Tom shrugged his shoulders and turned to go for the door.

"I don't get you." Becky mumbled to his back but he heard her and turned around. She took a step back slightly embarrassed and he took a step forward.

"What's that supposed to mean?" He snapped and instantly regretted his tone as she flinched.

"Never mind." She turned away but he caught her hand and tugged her back to face him.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what else to say."

Becky rolled her eyes and pulled her hand away. "How about starting with what you're sorry for." She finally said.

Tom Tom took a step away and thought about the situation. He really had nothing planned after 'I'm sorry.'

"Are you sorry you came here tonight? Are you sorry about fighting V-Lin? Are you sorry you ruined my chances with him? Are you sorry you didn't make a move on me sooner? Are you sorry you led me on?" She took a breath before continuing. "I mean, come on Tom Tom! You flirt with me like crazy. You tracked down Suzie's dad and got him to pay child support. You hate when Shark flirts with me and you beat the shit out of the first visiting patch that showed interest in me. What am I supposed to think? Am I wrong thinking you like me?"

"No." He grabbed her hand and held it, rubbing it with his thumb. "No, you're not wrong. I like you."

Becky sighed heavily. "Then what the hell Tom Tom? I mean okay, I get the whole 'if you can't have me no one can' thing. But you don't seem to want me. You never make a move."

"I'm here right now aren't I?" He snapped and threw her hand down.

"Because Gabby told you to make it right. Which you were gonna do by playing handyman without me here." She threw back in his face.

"Jesus Becky what do you want from me? I'm here, I'm trying. I suck at the whole relationship thing."

Becky sighed again and walked back to the couch. She stood behind it and leaned on the back. "You and Karen were in a relationship."

Tom Tom huffed. "Karen was a booty call. We dated once for about three weeks. She realized I sucked at being a boyfriend, hated the club, and only calls me up when she gets lonely."

"Fine you like me but you don't want a relationship with me. That's what I'm supposed to leave this conversation with? So what? Every time I get close to a guy you're gonna beat him up but we're never gonna be together either?"

Tom Tom was truly taken aback. He'd never heard meek little Becky talk like this, he supposed he had truly pushed her to her breaking point. He turned and looked at the door. He shouldn't have come. He should leave. But if he left he might not get a chance to come back.

"What do you want me to say?" Tom Tom turned back around and walked to the couch, facing Becky.

"Nothing Tom Tom. I don't want you to say anything." She shrugged her shoulders and walked to the new air conditioner standing in the blast of cool air.

Tom Tom stood and watched her. The room was starting to cool; it had already gone down to 87 degrees. He walked up and stood behind her, he wanted to reach out and touch her; put a hand on her back, rub her shoulders, smooth down her hair. He took half a step closer and reached out and grazed her arm with the back of his finger.

"If we try this, and it doesn't work…what would that look like?" He asked quietly.

She turned around and looked at him. "You mean will I hate you?"

"I mean, fuck Becky I don't know what I mean. I just don't want to be the reason you leave the club. The guys would hate me. Gabby would kill me."

"That's what you're afraid of. That if things don't work out you'll get blamed. Jesus. Get out."

"What?" He asked astonished.

"You don't want to be with me because you might fuck it up and the cub might get mad at you? If that's your biggest concern, get out."

"It's not. It's…Becky…" Tom Tom started to plead.

"Go." She said calmly and crossed her arms.

"Fine." Tom Tom said forcefully and strode directly to the door. He almost slammed it closed, but he stopped himself, he knew it would wake Suzie.

He ran down the staircase to the tow truck he had borrowed to haul the A/C. He yanked on the door and laughed at himself. Of course it was locked, he had nearly dropped the A/C double checking that it was locked, he was in a horrible fucking part of town. He grabbed the keys off his belt and slammed his fist against the window before putting them back on, that was his bike and dorm key. He dug in his jean pockets, and then his cut pockets. He pulled out the ring of spares, but no other keys. The ring didn't have spares for vehicles, it was strictly for houses. He banged his head against the truck window and kicked the tire.

He had to go back up.

Fucking fantastic.

He went back up the stairs and took a deep breath before knocking tentatively on the door. Becky whipped the door open, "WHAT?"

Tom Tom took a deep breath. "I left my keys." He stated in a measured tone.

Becky rolled her eyes. "They're on your belt." She went to slam the door and he caught it.

"Not the right keys." She pressed harder on the door but he wasn't fazed. He could force it open if he wanted to, but he didn't want that. "I can't leave without them. I'll sleep against your fucking door."

She huffed and bit her lip. "Stay here. I will get them." She tried to shut the door but Tom Tom's foot was in the way. She rolled her eyes and turned to the living room scanning the coffee table and floor. She turned back. "Where are they?" She asked impatiently.

"I don't know." He shrugged and stepped inside.

She glared at him. "I told you to wait."

"Becky!" He snapped and ran a hand through his hair. "Just, let me look so I can get the fuck away from you."

She looked hurt at his words and he sighed again. She had just kicked him out, how could she not want him to not want to be around her, this was why he was single, he didn't fucking understand women!

He ignored her and started looking for his keys, picking up couch cushions and searching the floor around the A/C he had installed. No keys. He hadn't thought to look outside her door, or on the stairs, or in the parking lot, but he sure as hell wasn't going admit to her that maybe the keys weren't actually here.

"Well?" Becky asked, tapping her foot. Tom Tom looked at her. She was once again in shorts and a tank top. The room was even cooler now, nearing 80, but she was still flushed. Her face, her neck, her chest, he wasn't sure anymore if it was heat or anger, but it was beautiful.

He took three long strides to her, grabbed her face in his hands and kissed her. It took her a few seconds to kiss him back but once she did he slid one hand to the back of her neck and slid the other down her side around her back to just above her ass and pulled her close against him. He loved the feel of her soft lips against his, he felt her tongue peak out and sweep across his bottom lip and he groaned and opened his mouth, granting her access. Her hands swept up into his shaggy hair and he moaned, pulling her closer and sweeping his own tongue into her mouth. He felt the need to consume her, to memorize every last bit of this kiss, of her, and backed her up into the wall, running his hand from her neck up into her hair. He pressed against her till she let out her own sweet moan and he groaned again in response.

He pulled away when his lungs burned for air and rested his forehead against hers. "You're worth the risk Becky." He said it without thinking, but it was true, and hopefully what she needed to hear.

She pulled back sharply and his face fell. That was probably the most romantic thing he had ever said, if it wasn't enough he was out, out and done.

She ran a hand down her hair to smooth it from his hand and looked around the apartment. She walked to the A/C and checked all around it and on it for his keys. "Becky?" He said and walked over to her. She circled the couch to avoid him and walked to the closet, yanking it open and searching the floor. She ripped the folded flaps of the box up and triumphantly snatched the keys out of it and stood back up.

"Becky…" He tried again. She walked up to him and dropped the keys in his outstretched hand, snatching her own away before he could touch her.

He looked down at the keys and back at her. "I'll leave." He held up the keys and then pocketed them "IF you tell me why."

"Why what?" She once again crossed her arms.

"Why after all of that you're still kicking me out. I want to try, I know I'm gonna fuck it up, but I want to try. You're worth it."

"I'm worth it?" She asked skeptically.

"Yes!"

"Are you?" She asked and he furrowed his brow. "Are YOU worth the risk?"

"I thought you wanted me. If you didn't want me why did you care if I wanted you?" He voice rose above a yelling whisper and he cringed.

"You want me. You don't want Suzie. We're a package deal Tom Tom. I'm not gonna let her get any more attached to you then she already is."

"I can get used to Suzie." He pleaded.

"My daughter isn't something you get used to Tom Tom! She is a little girl that you like and care about and grow to love. And I'm not gonna take the risk on a guy that I KNOW doesn't want her."

"Okay look, I used the wrong word. I didn't mean get used to her, I mean…she'll grow on me, I can…deal with her."

"You can deal with her?" Becky repeated.

"Okay…also the wrong word." Tom Tom put his hands up again.

"I already gave you the right word Tom Tom. Far as I can tell you can't even bring yourself to say it, let alone make me believe it might happen."

Tom Tom looked at her at a complete loss. She was staring at him, her face stoic, her lips still swollen from his own. God that kiss had been amazing. He couldn't see her every day and not be allowed to kiss her again.

"Tom Tom!" She hissed and he realized he had been silent for two long.

"Love her!" He finally realized. "I do love her, okay. I would die for her." He pointed to her bedroom door. "I don't… I like kids. I don't…know how to play with them or talk to them. But I like kids. I like Suzie. I know how much you care about her. I know everything you've sacrificed for her. Those are the qualities I like in you. Not all moms are like that."

He scrubbed his hands over his face before looking at her again, her face was softer but her arms were still crossed.

"What do you need me to do?" He asked desperately. "What do I have to do to prove myself to you?"

"Prove yourself to Suzie."

* * *

"Gabby…hey." He waited on the porch till she moved aside and swept an inviting arm into the house.

She closed the door after he stepped inside. "You missed the kids, they're in bed." Tig nodded and looked around, he could hear lots of men in the living room, but none of them came to see who was at the door.

"Yeah, I uh…" He looked nervous and fidgeted.

"I thought you were going to call. Make plans for a visit." Gabby reminded him of his words when he left town after the funeral.

"Right, well this…isn't that. This… did Kristen lose a tooth?"

"Yes, today, why?" Gabby looked him over carefully.

"I got a call, from Shark, about you."

"About me not knowing who the tooth fairy was?" Gabby asked with a smirk, but inside she was furious at Shark for still butting in after she told him off.

"Yeah." Tig nodded his head.

"I got filled in." Gabby assured him.

"I figured. But…I really, really want to talk, just you and me." Tig stepped closer to Gabby but didn't reach out to her. Physical contact with Gabby was…complicated. It wasn't off limits, but it was uncomfortable.

"Love?" Casper came around the corner and stopped when he saw Tig. "Hey Tig." He took a deep breath and walked up to his wife, rubbing her back before wrapping his arm around her shoulders and holding out the other to shake Tig's hand. "What are you doing here?"

"Shark called him." Gabby looked up at her husband with an expression Tig couldn't read.

"Right… I'll…go get Shark." Casper turned for the living room and called Shark's name.

"Yeah?" Shark came around the corner. "Tig." He stopped and crossed his arms in the middle of the hallway. "What in the world are you doing here?"

Tig looked at the small group now forming in the hallway as Happy and Vin rose and came up behind Shark at the sound of his greeting.

Lenard and Bull groaned and swore at something and Gabby smirked. "Go back to the game boys. You hungry Tig?"

Tig looked at the men and nodded. Shark and Vin went back to the game, Casper and Happy stood in the hall, waiting for Gabby and Tig to pass before following them into the kitchen. Gabby busied herself fixing Tig a plate from the fridge. Casper pulled out a chair for Tig and sat next to him. Happy leaned against the center island, between Tig and Gabby.

Gabby noticed that. He hadn't been that forward about staying between the two in a long time, but he'd been on edge since Gabby confessed the much earlier start to her mother's abuse.

"Anyone else want more?" Gabby offered when she set Tig's plate down.

Happy nodded his head and Casper eyed her. "I do!" Shark yelled from the living room and Gabby rolled her eyes. She cut three more thick slices and through them in the microwave, sans side dishes.

"Wow. This is good. Is this Gemma's meatloaf?" Tig asked after his first bite.

Gabby slammed the microwave door shut as she took out the plate. "Yes. It's Gemma's meatloaf." Gabby answered shortly and doled the slices out on different plates for the guys.

Tig slowly chewed the bite in his mouth, he had obviously said something wrong, but he wasn't sure what.

"She gave you her secret recipe, that's like…an honor." Tig tried to correct himself.

"She didn't give me her recipe. I learned it after 10 years of making it for her family dinners. And it's not a secret. It's on the back of the Lipton onion soup mix box." She handed plates to Happy and Casper and walked out of the kitchen. She glared at Shark and slammed the third plate hard into his chest when he reached for it. He frowned and gave her a sympathetic eye. She continued to glare and he reached out to take the fork from her. She stabbed his palm with the prongs of the fork. He refused to say ouch but he cringed and sucked on the few bits of blood she drew.

She stood over him daring him to say anything and he just cleared his throat and picked up his meatloaf, eating it with his uninjured hand. She huffed and walked back to the kitchen, throwing the fork into the sink.

"Bitch is crazy." Bull mumbled to Lenard and Vin slapped him hard upside the head, knocking his teeth on his beer bottle he was drinking out of. "Gabby is your brother's old lady. You respect her Jackass."

Casper looked at the fork in the sink and into the living room at his brother. "Wonder what the score is…" Casper grabbed his plate and nodded for Happy to follow him. Hap glared at him. Casper huffed and stared back. Happy didn't waver. Casper looked away finally, cleared his throat and looked at the living room. Gabby was closing Tupperware and stuffing leftovers back in the fridge.

"Hap." Casper pleaded and nodded towards the living room again. Happy stared back. Tig looked over and noticed, giving an amused chuckle. Casper squared his shoulders and grabbed Happy's plate of meatloaf, taking it into the living room with him.

Happy sighed and followed Casper, locking eyes with his daughter before he left the room. She gave him a small nod, silent understanding. He was upset, she was upset, he was worried, she was annoyed, he would be listening from the next room, she was grateful.

Gabby took a deep breath and sat down at the table adjacent from Tig. "So…Shark calls and you come running?" Gabby got to the 'fun' portion of the visit.

Tig put down his fork. He had wolfed down all of the meatloaf and potatoes, leaving his corn for last like a child. "Gabby…" He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I have so many regrets. So many. You have no idea doll. I've tried forgetting things, pushing them aside, justifying them…" He took a deep breath; he was talking quietly, so as not to be overheard by the men in the living room. "I'm sorry Gabby."

Gabby sat quietly for a moment, one elbow on the table, head resting in her hand. She sighed and looked down at the table as the men in the other room cheered at the TV.

"Guys are watching the game if you want to join them." She finally spoke.

"Gabby?" Tig reached out, laying his hand on the table next to her arm, but didn't touch her. He was treading a fine line, pushing the well-established boundaries of his new found family; he knew the risk he was taking, losing all of it by trying to get more.

Gabby let out a long, deep, sigh and got up from the table. "Come on." She nodded her head towards the front door and Tig cringed but stood as well. He had approached that all wrong, he thought, too much too fast.

"Den." She nodded her head again to the door and opened it, walking into the den and waiting for him to follow before closing the door behind him.

She had just willingly closed herself into a room with Tig. That had never happened before. She took another deep breath and sat on Casper's computer chair, leaving the couch for Tig. This was not a side by side kind of conversation.

"You're sorry." She stated instead of asked.

"I am Gabby, I am. I am so sorry." He sat and leaned forward welcoming the chance to finally talk things through.

"What are you sorry for?" Gabby asked, her practiced, Happy taught, blank look and cold eyed staring into Tig's matching blue ones.

The question threw Tig for a loop. Obviously he was sorry for what happened to her. She understood that, didn't she? What was he sorry for? He was sorry for what she went through, what Emily did to her. Oh… "I'm sorry for what I did." He understood now, "I'm sorry for the way I treated you, but more so, I'm sorry that I let happen…what happened. It wasn't right. I should have stepped in."

Gabby leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I need more than that." She shrugged.

Tig sat and looked at her. He felt like he should lie down on the couch and bare his soul, hell, revealing all of this to her was probably the closest thing to therapy he'd ever get.

"Emily was 19 when you were born. I was married. I had two kids. They were babies… my wife hated me. Honest to god, I thought if I walked away…from you…from your mother…" Gabby flinched, her first sign of emotion and Tig filed it away. Not her mother, Emily, check.

"I thought if I walked away Emily would leave. Leave the club, leave town, go back to her parents. I thought you'd have a pretty good life. But she didn't leave. JT took one look at you and you were the daughter he never had. He loved you, he loved you so much. It wasn't about giving you what I didn't, he wasn't trying to make up for me, he loved you."

Gabby's eyes grew wet but the rest of her face stayed blank. Tig sniffed away his own tears. He couldn't help his overly expressive eyes, and apparently neither could she no matter how hard she tried.

"Gemma hated how he spoiled you. He would take you places; he would carry you around and rock you to sleep. When he died, Gemma pushed you out. She was angry at Emily, but she hated you. She could have told Emily she wasn't welcome. She should have. I asked her to. I thought…I thought if she lost the club she'd leave."

Gabby sniffed and Tig wiped a hand over her face. "She wasn't using yet. She didn't use when she was pregnant. I don't know when it started, sometime after JT. Probably before you remember though. I should have stepped in. I should have, and part of me wanted to. I'm stubborn Gabby. I put my mind towards not being your father and I stuck to it. I'm not proud of it. I'm not proud of knowing your mother was using and not stepping in. I'm not proud of seeing your bruises and letting her get away with hurting you."

"When you got older…Maybe 13 or so, a brother, from Phoenix, saw you in the club kitchen. The guy had a reputation for liking young girls. And he watched you. You were scrubbing dishes while the rest of us were eating. I watched him, standing in the door, watching you. I beat the shit out of him that night in the ring." He felt the need to assure her of that, redeem himself in the slightest. "I mean, I… Jesus Gabby I nearly killed the guy…"

"After that, I had to keep them away from you. All of them. And I couldn't do that, not on my own. So I thought I could keep you away from them. The older Charming guys would never touch you, but the others didn't know. And I couldn't….wouldn't let you…no way in hell Gabby. And I could have told them to back off. But… I didn't want to warn them off you. I wanted you terrified of them. Of the life. I wanted you gone. Not Gone gone, but Safe gone. I knew I couldn't take seeing you in the clubhouse. So I scared you, I scared the shit out of you every chance I got. I laughed it off to the brothers, but I hated it. I hated doing that to you."

Gabby remained quiet. She stared at him. Tears had yet to escape her eyes, but Tig could see them clearly. He waited for a response from her, but got none. That either meant she wasn't happy with what he had to say, or she needed, wanted, more.

"It...It wasn't just the guys Gabby. The club, it's a dangerous place. You were in Charming for some of the worst of it. The deaths, the lock downs, old ladies got hurt. Kids got hurt. Babies. Abel got kidnapped. Luanne was killed. Gemma… shit Gabby you being an old lady still scares the crap out of me."

Gabby looked around the room, she loved her life.

"Dawn." Tig said it, all alone, one syllable, and Gabby's head snapped back to look at him.

Tig looked at her. She had yet to cry, but her eyes were still welled up with tears.

"Dawn." Tig repeated. "Dawn died because of me." He paused to watch her, study her. But she just sat blankly. He didn't know how much she knew, how much Happy would have told her. "She died…a horrible horrible death because of me." He choked and lost control of his own tears, letting them fall freely down his face.

Gabby sat and watched him cry. She held her own tears back but her bottom lip quivered. "Tig." She called his name and he looked up at her again. His face was awash in pain and it finally cracked her. She pulled herself out of the chair and sat next to Tig on the couch, wiping the tears from his cheeks.

He grabbed both her hands in his, pulling them away from his face and then let go of them, wrapping her in a desperate hug. "I know I hurt you Gabby. But having me as a father…I promise you it wouldn't have been any better." He whispered into her hair.

Gabby pulled away at that. Tig looked at her and swallowed nervously.

"You left me to get slapped around by a crack whore. To be left alone at night, as a child, a baby, so she could go party. Going to bed hungry. Getting evicted from houses. I tried...I nearly killed myself."

"Oh god doll." Tig reached out and ran a hand down the side of her face.

"I found my mother, dead, when I was 18. Do you have any idea what that was like?"

"No, no I don't." He shook his head.

"The past is the past Tig. I can't keep reliving it. You want some huge grand show of forgiveness from me…you're not gonna get it. You know I forgive you." She shrugged and pulled away from him, his hand on her cheek dropping to his lap. "I've told you as much. You need to get stuff off your chest. I understand that. But you telling me why you did what you did doesn't make it okay, it doesn't help. It hurts. Thinking about it hurts. Talking about it hurts. I want you in my life. But if that means feeling all of this pain every time you're around, I can't do it."

"Gabby…" Tig started to plead.

"YOU have to move on Tig. You have to forgive yourself. What Emily did to me wasn't your fault. What YOU did to me was."

* * *

_Thanks for reading :)_


	15. Chapter 15

_As always, a special thank you to the freak circle, and my lovely beta EmeraldJewelSparkle. You're amazing love!_

_Didn't get to respond to reviews this time around, haven't been online much this week, so a HUGE__ thank you to everyone reading and reviewing! It really means a lot :D_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material

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2022

Age 30

Gabby opened the door when she heard goodbyes and the front door slam shut. She knew Happy wouldn't leave, and Shark had probably stayed as well. She and Tig had stayed in the den in relative silence, all that needed to be said had been said. Time to go out and face the others.

As predicted Happy was leaning against the opposite wall, Casper and Shark were blocking the hallway leading to the kitchen. They had, planned or not, left herself and Tig no exit but the front door. Tig noticed too as he followed her out and closed the den door.

Tig looked around at the semi-circle of men around Gabby. He didn't resent them. He was glad Gabby had them, all of them. The things she told him about her childhood broke his heart, and made him all the more thankful Happy had been there for her. The thought of her starving, wanting to kill herself… he owed Happy infinitely for raising her as well as he had.

And the two Fresno patches, Casper and Shark. He had to admit he respected Casper now. He saw how good a man, and husband, he is to Gabby. He had gotten off on the wrong foot with Casper, Tig getting his ass beat by a 20 something prospect. But he no longer held a grudge against the man. Tig knew his daughter would always be safe with Casper.

He was glad for Shark as well. The man obviously cared for the whole family. Shark had been the one to call him and ream him out today. He was close enough to Gabby to care about her, and far enough away to do what needed to be done without worrying about Gabby being pissed at him.

"I gotta be getting back. Got a shift at the garage in the morning. Jax doesn't know I'm here." Tig broke the awkward silence finally. The men didn't seem inclined to let Tig have any more private time with Gabby. He turned and placed a hand on the side of her head, kissing her opposite cheek.

"I'm glad we finally talked. I'm gonna think about what you said." He stopped and dug into his cut. He pulled out an obviously store wrapped gift that fit into the palm of his hand. He held it out and she took it.

She looked at it for a moment. She wasn't used to getting gifts. Bikers weren't big on picking out and wrapping gifts. Kristen was at the age of making gifts and Gabby and Casper still used gift giving for large house purchases.

More than any of that, she was holding the only thing Tig had ever given her in her hand. She slipped her thumb under the tape on one side and pulled the paper off. It was still in its box, the picture indicating a ceramic box shaped like a tooth that opened.

"It's to keep the kids teeth in." Tig said hesitantly. "There are some pouches in there so you can keep them separate for each kid." He added.

"Thanks Tig." Gabby finally said and looked back up at him.

"Yeah." Tig shrugged, he knew it was a lame gift compared to everything he owed her, but the idea had struck him on the way to Fresno and he had spent an hour looking for a store that sold them.

"I'll see you soon." He assured her and nodded to the men still staring him down before letting himself out and pulling the door closed behind him.

As soon as the door shut all three men's eyes went directly to Gabby. They all braced themselves for her to either freak out in anger, or start crying over whatever had been said behind closed doors.

Gabby looked up at them and stopped herself from smirking. It was clear they were all afraid of her reaction. She really had no reaction at this point. She was numb, she just wanted to be left alone.

"Did you switch out Kristen's tooth yet?" She asked in monotone.

"Umm, no." Casper answered honestly. She nodded, handed him the box sans wrapping paper and pushed herself through the wall of men.

Casper Shark and Happy all looked at each other and then down the hall. Gabby walked out of the kitchen with the garbage can and carried it into the living room. She went back to the kitchen with dirty dishes and came back out, grabbing the recycling bin without making eye contact with any of the men, and went back into the living room.

"Okay, so am I in more or less trouble now?" Shark whispered to the other men. Casper scoffed and Happy turned to Shark and glared.

"Anybody want to help me clean up your mess?" Gabby called from the living room. She put a bit more annoyance in her voice than she was actually feeling to make them move faster.

"Coming!" Shark yelled and nearly leapt into the living room ahead of the other two men. Casper chuckled and set the tooth box on the stairs before helping to clean as well.

Happy snagged Gabby's arm and pulled her to the kitchen while the younger men cleaned. She stood silently staring at him while he searched her face.

"You okay?" He finally asked. His concern for his daughter outweighing any anger from earlier in the evening.

"I'm fine." Gabby shrugged, but she didn't break eye contact.

"What did you two talk about?" He knew it was none of his business but he couldn't stop the words from coming out of his mouth.

"We talked about the things I don't like to talk about. And I'm not talking about them again tonight."

"Gabby, sweetheart, please don't block me out." Happy pleaded.

"Why is it so hard for everyone to understand I don't want to talk about my childhood. It sucked, it's over. I dealt with it. I moved on. All I want is for everyone else to deal with it and move on too. It's my story, my pain, if I say I'm okay I'm okay, damn it!" She snapped and pulled her elbow out of his grip so she could storm upstairs.

Casper and Shark walked back into the kitchen once Gabby left.

"Great." Casper said, extremely annoyed. Shark flinched at his tone. "You know, next time you two decide to gang up on her in one night please keep in mind I'm the one that still has to live with her." He slammed the garbage can down that he was holding and followed his wife up the stairs.

Happy ran a hand over his face. Gabby wasn't okay. She hadn't dealt with her issues and moved on, she hid them all deep down inside of her and was fighting desperately not to let them out.

"Finish cleaning and lock up." Hap snapped at Shark and walked out the front door, making sure not to slam it and wake the kids.

* * *

Casper came into the bedroom and eyed his wife. She was sitting up in bed reading her book. She had put on one of his t shirts; he couldn't tell if she was wearing shorts under it. No shorts meant sexy girl in his clothing, shorts meant comfy pj's instead of silky nightgown and no sex. Not that he really wanted sex, well, he always did, but more so, sex was Gabby's favorite and really only coping mechanism when it came to things she'd rather not deal with.

He opened up Tig's gift and dropped Kristen's tooth into a tiny pink draw string bag before tucking it in the box and tucking that in Gabby's nightstand drawer. "Tooth fairy left Kristen $5."

"K." Gabby answered and Casper sighed.

"Are you mad at me?" Casper asked stripping off his clothes and walking around to the other side of the bed.

Gabby looked up at him. "I'm not mad at you. I don't want to talk about it." She went back to reading her book and Casper went into the bathroom to get ready for bed. He came back out and lay down next to her, wrapping an arm around her stomach.

"I love you." He kissed her shoulder but she didn't answer or acknowledge him. He shifted down and kissed her thigh. Shorts. Okay then. He popped his head over the edge of her book and gave her his best puppy dog eyes. "I love you Gabby."

She glanced at him briefly and went back to her book.

"Gabby?" He lifted an eyebrow, waiting for her.

"Love you too." She answered distracted and turned the page.

"Gabby." Casper pleaded, taking the book out of her hands. "Love, I told Shark to mind his own business. I didn't know he called Tig. I had no part in that."

Gabby stared at him for a moment and then shoved him off her legs and got out of bed. She stormed out the bedroom door and half way down the stairs before Casper caught her.

"Gabby!" He yelled quietly and grabbed her arm.

"What part of I don't want to talk about it does nobody fucking understand?" She spat out and pulled her arm out of his grasp, storming down the rest of the stairs. She made it to the den and slammed the door shut.

Shark watched from the dark hallway holding the recycling bin. He listened to Casper slam the bedroom door upstairs a moment later and flinched. He set the plastic bin down and knocked tentatively on the door to the den. This was his fault, he needed to fix it. He couldn't stand it when Casper and Gabby fought.

She didn't answer his knock so he slowly eased the door handle open. "Gabby?" He called through the crack of the door and she whipped it the rest of the way open.

"What the hell are you still doing in my house?" She asked disgusted.

Shark took a deep breath, he was gonna fix this even if he had to throw himself under a bus to do it. He took a defensive pose and stepped into the doorway. "I'm not your husband; I'm not your dad. I don't give a fuck if you're pissed at me. You and Tig needed to talk, I made that happen."

Gabby stared at him with a blank expression on her face. Shark swallowed. No wonder Casper grew enough balls to stand up to the other brothers; Gabby was scary when she was angry.

"I'm not gonna apologize for doing what I know was right." He insisted.

Gabby slowly shook her head and then let out on small chuckle. Scariest chuckle Shark had ever heard. "Get out." She spat at him.

"No." He held his ground. "You need to chill the fuck out. Accept that I'm trying to help you, and go back upstairs. You're mad at me, not Casper."

"Get the FUCK out of my house." She seethed, letting go of the door and stepping up to Shark. He had nearly half a foot on her, and she didn't seem to care. He didn't realize till it happened that he had backed up a step. "You're not my husband. You're not my father. You have no fucking say in my life, how I live it, and what I choose to deal with."

"I'm just trying to help." Shark backed up another step.

"Get out."

"Do you even know why you're mad right now?" Shark asked, hoping Gabby would pause and think, and maybe calm down.

Gabby put both her hands on Sharks chest and shoved him towards the front door. "I'm MAD right now because nobody seems to be hearing what the fuck I'm saying!"

"Maybe you should ask nicely." Shark snapped back in a condescending tone.

"Okay." She reached behind him and opened the front door. "PLEASE get the FUCK out of my house!" She shoved him once more forcing him to stumble over the threshold and slammed the door shut and locked it before he got his footing.

She glanced over to the staircase where Casper was watching her. She knew he was there, he'd come back down the stairs quietly as soon as she had said her first words to Shark. She waited for him to ask her if she was okay but he simply held up his hands in surrender and walked slowly back up the stairs.

Gabby went back to the den.

* * *

Gabby sat on a bench outside the rehab clinic she worked at waiting for Becky to meet her for lunch. She was cleaning out her email on her ipad, two salads in plastic containers next to her on the bench.

"Hey!" Becky called as she got closer.

"Hey Beck." Gabby answered and set her ipad aside. Becky handed her a large ice tea and Gabby handed Becky one of the two salads.

"So…" Becky started as she sat and opened her salad. The two friends having lunch together wasn't unusual, but Gabby had sounded nearly desperate on the phone this morning when she had invited Becky for lunch.

"So how was your night?" Gabby asked. The last thing she wanted was to once again hash out yesterday's events once again. She needed some nonsense girl talk to clear her head of the drama.

"It was okay…" Becky trailed off with a smile on her lips as she squeezed a packet of dressing onto her salad.

Gabby peered at her and grinned as well. "Care to expand on that smile."

Becky ducked her head as she blushed. "Tom Tom." She said simply.

"Ah, Tom Tom. Did he beg for forgiveness and promise not to be an asshole?" Gabby asked, starting on her own salad.

"Well, when I came home he was trying to get in my apartment. He was gonna play handyman without me there to make up for everything." She paused to chew and swallow a bite of salad. "Me and Suzie showing up put a damper on that plan."

Gabby covered her mouth as she chuckled to stop from spitting out her own bite of salad.

"We talked, we fought, I kicked him out." Becky admitted and took another bite.

"You kicked him out?" Gabby asked shocked. She had definitely rubbed off on her younger friend.

"Yeah, but he came back and we fought more, and talked more." She paused and smiled. "He kissed me."

Gabby smiled and looked at Becky. "Just kissed?"

"Yes!" Becky nearly squealed. "But…it was a good kiss, a head spinning, weak in the knees kiss." She turned her head away and took a sip of her own ice tea to hide her now tomato red face.

"And…so…therefore…" Gabby bumped her shoulder for more answers.

"And then we fought more." Becky shrugged.

"And now? Was anything resolved?"

"He said he never made a move on me because he was scared we'd break up and I would stop coming around and everyone would blame him, which is crap."

Gabby nodded in agreement as she returned to her lunch.

"I mean, I'm sure it's true, it's just not the only reason why."

"Suzie." Gabby offered and Becky nodded.

"He had the nerve to say he could get used to her. He says he loves her, same as the rest of the guys, but…" She trailed off again and stabbed at her salad.

"But you want someone to be her dad. Not someone who is gonna put up with her." Gabby filled in the silence and Becky nodded. "So…what did you two finally decide?"

"I told him he had to prove he could be good with Suzie before I'd commit to anything. He seemed okay with that. But I guess we'll just have to wait and see if it actually happens. I'm worried about Suzie getting hurt in all this. I haven't dated anyone since she was born. If Tom Tom spends a couple of weeks dotting on her and then gives up she's not gonna understand. And I don't want to stop hanging with the club. Not seeing you guys would kill us both." She referred to herself and Suzie, but Gabby added herself in that equation, she needed Becky in her life to stay sane.

"And it wouldn't be her fault. It would be mine. I know Tom Tom has a problem with her. I shouldn't be giving him the time of day…" Becky trailed off once again after her short rant and set her half eaten salad off to the side. She had suddenly lost her appetite.

Gabby picked at her own salad a bit longer before setting it aside as well. She took a long sip or her ice tea before turning to Becky. She waited patiently till Becky huffed.

"You don't have anything to say to all of that?" Becky asked desperately.

Gabby smirked before answering. "I think you are a great mom. I think Tom Tom really likes you. And I think with a little patience and maybe the occasional kick in the ass he will do just fine with Suzie. I also think you need to stop worrying so much and get laid."

Becky spit out a mouthful of ice tea, "Gabby!"

"Oh come on! You're going on five years of celibacy. I could barely make it through the weeks after I had the kids. No wonder you're wound so tight."

"Oh my god." Becky mumbled and buried her head in her hands.

Gabby laughed. "I just hope you have some sort of secret vibrator collection I don't know about."

"Gabby!" Becky groaned.

"Five years Becky! You should be studied by science!" Gabby continued laughing as Becky turned redder and redder.

"I didn't say I hadn't…you know…in five years, just that I hadn't dated anyone." Becky finally defended herself, Gabby rolled her eyes.

"When's the last time you had…you know…?" Gabby mocked her friend.

Becky sat and thought a moment. "The visit before the last visit home before my dad died. I hooked up with an old boyfriend from high school. We were drinking in his basement and one thing led to another…"

"That was over a year ago." Gabby cut her off.

"Well it's better than five years!" Becky shot back.

"Okay, okay!" Gabby held her hands up. "Subject dropped. Jeez, sensitive." She smiled at Becky once more and finished off her ice tea. "I gotta go anyway. Got a hot date with an eight year old." Gabby stood and grabbed her garbage and her ipad. "Thanks for coming down, I needed this."

"I don't get to hear about your night?" Becky asked, collecting her own garbage. She knew Gabby didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her, but she always felt the need to show she was willing to listen.

"Tig…stuff." Gabby described and Becky gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Right… there was some odd tension going on at that dinner."

"Yeah…"

* * *

"Hi Adam." Gabby came around her desk and greeted the eight year old warmly. The boy shuffled his feet and eyed the room as Gabby closed the door.

"Have a seat, anywhere you want." Adam looked over the room again. There was a small love seat, an overstuffed chair, a beanbag chair, two simple hard chairs in front of the desk, and Gabby's computer chair. He smiled and ran to the black computer chair, jumped on it, and sent it spinning.

"Good choice." Gabby smiled at him and wheeled the chair out from behind the desk so he would face her as she settled in the overstuffed chair.

"Do you know why you're here today Adam?" He nodded but said nothing. She was used to this with most of the kids she saw.

"You're here because you're gonna see your mom tomorrow, right?" Adam nodded again and started to swing his feet.

"It's been a long time since you've seen her. Do you miss her, are you excited to see her?" It was Gabby's primary job to prepare children for family therapy with their parents who were in treatment. Occasionally she also counseled minors who were going through rehab.

Adam shrugged at Gabby's question and stared at his feet. Gabby leaned back in her chair, this was the reason she set aside a two hour time block for new children.

"You know your mom is here trying to get better so you can live with her again. Do you want to live with her again?" Adam wouldn't even shrug at that question, so probably not. She didn't blame him, Adam's mom had spent 90 days in prison before being released on the condition she fulfilled a rehab program.

"Are you mad at your mom Adam?" He looked up finally and nodded. She waited a moment but he didn't say anything. "It's okay to be mad at her. I bet she is even expecting you to be mad." She could tell this surprised him but he still didn't speak.

"I bet there's more than one reason that you're mad." Adam shrugged his shoulders once more and Gabby leaned forward. "If I guess will you tell me if I'm right?" Adam gave a small shrug and then thought a bit more and nodded.

"Are you mad at your mom for doing something to you? Or for something that she said to you?" She waited for him to shrug before going on. "Are you mad at her for not giving you something you wanted, or maybe for taking something that was yours?"

Adam stopped swinging his feet and Gabby knew she hit on something he might actually talk about.

"She took my bike." He mumbled quietly.

Gabby nodded. "She sold it, didn't she?" Sometimes leading kids on was the only way to get them to talk. If they thought you already knew about something, they would help fill in the details.

"She took it and she sold it for drugs. It wasn't hers. It was mine. My grandpa bought me the bike and she sold it." Adam finally blurted out and crossed his arms.

Gabby sat back in her chair. A well-seasoned psychologist would say Adam was using the bike as a symbol. But sometimes a pawned bike was just a pawned bike, especially to an eight year old.

"Will you talk about that with your mom tomorrow? Will you tell her how mad it made you?"

"I don't want to make her feel bad. I want her to get better." Adam mumbled. Gaby knew exactly what he meant. This obviously wasn't the first time Adam's mother had tried to kick drugs. Sometimes the guilt and the pressure to fix everything was enough to drive people back to using before they were even considered recovered.

"Well, that's why you're gonna tell her here. So you two can talk about it without fighting and I will be there and your mom's doctor will be there and we will both help come up with a solution."

Adam thought about that for a moment and then nodded his head and continued swinging his feet.

The younger the kid the more forgiving they were. Hopefully Adam's mom would stay clean this time. If the cycle continued into Adam's teens he would end up on the streets, or using, or both.

"Is there anything else you want to tell me? Anything else you want to bring up to your mom tomorrow?" Adam responded with his usual shrug and Gabby sat up straight in her chair.

"You're staying with your Aunt while your mom is here. Do you like staying with her?"

"She's nice. And my cousin is nice. But I don't like her friends." Adam continued swinging his feet, this time without looking up.

"You don't like your Aunt's friends or your cousin's friends?"

"My Aunt's friends. They moved in the house. They won't let us open the window blinds or use the front door."

Gabby leaned forward and caught Adam's gaze. "Are they making drugs?" Adam looked at her and swallowed nervously, obviously he had been threatened to keep their secret.

"Adam, they won't find out you told me. I promise, and I will do what I can to make them stop, but you have to tell me for sure that they are making drugs."

"They are." Adam looked out the window and stopped swinging his legs. "We stay outside when they cook. Auntie says it's dangerous. But the house still stinks when they're done. She doesn't want them there. But they won't leave."

"Do you know any of their names?"

Adam shook his head. "There are just three of them. They talk in Spanish. They shove me out of whatever room they're in. The one in charge is the meanest."

"Do you want me to make them leave?"

"Will my Aunt get in trouble?" Adam whipped his head around to look at Gabby. She understood his fear, his mom was in rehab, his grandparents were both recently deceased, his father had never been in the picture. If his Aunt went to jail he would be put in foster care.

"She won't get in trouble." Gabby assured the boy. "I need you to promise me two things, okay? So that I can try to make them leave."

Adam eagerly nodded his head.

"You have to promise me you won't tell anyone that you told me, because I don't want those men to blame you. And I want you to go to school every day this week, no matter what, you and your cousin, okay?"

"Okay." Adam nodded his head and agreed, finally smiling.

* * *

Gabby pulled up and parked as close to the clubhouse as she could. She left everything in the SUV and grabbed only a piece of paper out of her purse before swinging Mathew onto her hip and going inside.

"Hey sugar." Vin greeted her. "Casper's at the garage."

"I know." Gabby answered shortly, walking over to him. Vin nodded his head. The tension he had felt at dinner last night had obviously not dissipated.

"Carol!" She called and got the sweet butts attention. She was talking to a new girl, Kaye, Gabby believed her name was, and both women headed right over to her.

"Take him for a sec. I can't stay." Gabby said in a clipped tone, her annoyance not directed at Carol, but certainly noticeable. Carol nodded and took Mathew. Vin looked at Gabby slightly hurt, he wanted time with the boy, but he wasn't gonna say anything, he wasn't stupid.

"Where's Kristen?" Carol asked, looking around.

"Still at school, I'm on my way to pick her up." Carol nodded and took the boy a few steps away. Kaye walked back to the bar and Gabby turned back to Vin. "Is Lenard around?"

"Out with the backhoe. You got something for us?" Vin set his beer on the table he was sitting at and kicked out a chair for Gabby. She continued standing and he took a breath and pushed himself up.

"I do, not sure if it's the right time."

"Gonna have to be." Vin assured her and took the paper she was holding out. "What ya got?"

"Woman and two kids live in the house. Eight and fifteen year old boys. Eight year old told me three men are in the house making drugs." Gabby quickly got to the point.

"With kids in the house?" Vin asked disgusted.

"They send the kids outside when they cook. Kid didn't know any names but said the men spoke Spanish. He said they were friends of the woman's, but she doesn't want them there either, she doesn't use or deal so there is defiantly a bigger picture thing the kid couldn't fill in. Promised the kid the woman wouldn't get in trouble. She's his last step before foster care."

He looked over the address on the paper. It was in their known territory and as far as he could remember it wasn't a known kitchen. Not that it mattered; kitchens weren't allowed to operate with kids around, whether they paid their fees or not.

"I'll call church. When's the best time to hit this place?"

"Day. Kids will be in school. Woman works first shift."

"Alright, thanks. Anything else you can tell me?"

"No, sorry. I gotta go. I gotta get to the elementary school."

"Yeah alright." Gabby turned to collect her son and Vin followed her out, opening the club house door for her.

She buckled Mathew in and turned to climb in the driver's seat.

"Gabby?" Vin laid a hand on her shoulder. "Is everything okay?"

"Bad day. Bad couple of days. I gotta go." She climbed up and Vin grabbed the door to close.

"Let me know if I can help sugar." He offered and shut the door for her.

* * *

Gabby opened the side door and set Mathew down on the inside landing. "Go on Kristen, take your brother inside."

"Yes mommy." Kristen skipped inside, her book bag banging against her back and took her little brothers hand. Gabby smiled at the image. Kristen was a great older sister.

Gabby walked to the mail box and grabbed the junk mail out of it. All their bills were paid online at this point. 90% of the mail they got was junk mail, but she went through it for coupons. She didn't even bother checking the mail every day. She stopped as soon as she got in the door.

"Kristen!" She yelled and pulled the door closed behind her. She kept walking inside staring at the thick envelope in her hands.

Kristen scurried into the hallway from the kitchen. Mathew came stumbling behind her, apt to do whatever his big sister was doing.

"You got mail sweetie." Gabby handed her the envelope and Kristen took it quizzically.

"Paper mail?" She asked flipping the envelope over in her hands. Gabby bit her lip to keep from laughing. Had her 6 year old daughter ever gotten something in mail, the actual paper, stamped, delivered by a mail man mail? Actually, maybe she hadn't.

"Yes, paper mail. It's from your Uncle Jax." Gabby rested her hand on her daughters head.

"It's pictures!" Kristen yelled before she even tore open the envelope. "Mommy open it! Open it!" She handed the envelope back.

"Okay okay!" Gabby yelled back laughing and slipped her finger under the glue. She poured the contents out into her waiting hand to give to her daughter and froze. Pictures. Pictures of Emily. She nearly dropped them on the floor but Kristen jumped up and grabbed them.

"It's grandma!" Kristen yelled. Gabby swallowed the large lump forming in her throat and took a few steps back till she collided with the wall. It was all she could do not to slide down it into a heap on the floor as her daughter spread four 3x5 glossy photos on the hall way floor.

"Kristen…" Gabby tried to say something, anything, but she found she couldn't form words. Her mouth was dry and she was having trouble breathing. It was a panic attack. She tried to stay calm, she knew what it was, nothing was wrong with her, she just had to wait it out.

"Uncle Jax told me he had pictures of grandma….She's young. She's not as old as grandpa." Kristen rattled on unaware of her mother clinging to the wall. Mathew picked one up and Kristen shrieked. "NO MATHEW!" she took it back out of his hand and collected the photos.

"Kristen." Gabby tried again but could only get her daughter's name out.

"Mommy he was gonna wrinkle it." Kristen defended herself. "I want to put one in a frame!" Her mind skipped to the next topic.

"Okay." Gabby nodded her head. "I'll get you one. Take them to your room." Gabby took a deep breath when her daughter ran up the stairs. She waited for Mathew to follow her before yanking open the basement door.

She didn't bother turning on the lights. She closed the door, ran down the stairs at full speed and crashed into the old workbench at the bottom of the stairs and collapsed, folding herself over it as she gasped and bit her lip to hold in a sob.

She would not cry. She would not cry over that dead whore.

* * *

_Thanks for reading :) _


	16. Chapter 16

_A big thank you to the freak circle, and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle!_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

The men all slowly filtered into the clubhouse after work. Vin had called Lenard first to get the go ahead to take care of the situation before calling the rest of the men for church.

"I need a fucking shower." Shark walked in a step behind Lenard.

"Will you shut up already?" Bull snapped, coming in last.

"I would, but someone hit a waterline." Shark growled at him. Both men were completely covered in a thin layer of now dried and crusty mud. Bull had hit and ruptured a water mane and the men had both gotten hit by the high powered stream of water, and thus mud.

"Hey!" Bull shoved Shark into Lenard.

"STOP." Lenard turned around and yelled, making both men freeze. "Shut the fuck up and go change. Church in 10." Bull nodded first and scurried away. Shark watched him go, a glare plastered on his face.

"Need to let me beat his ass." He mumbled to Lenard.

Lenard shook his head and Shark patted him on the shoulder before grabbing clothes from his locker and heading to one of the empty dorms.

"Casper." Vin called him over to the tech corner. He handed the younger man the slip of paper Gabby had brought earlier. "Get on this, it's a kitchen. Woman owns it, three men, speaking Spanish, moved in, started cooking."

Casper looked down at the paper and instantly recognized his wife's handwriting. "Gabby was here?" He hadn't heard from her all day. She had avoided him all morning, focusing on getting herself and the kids ready to leave the house.

"Yeah." Vin looked Casper over, he obviously was trying not to ask someone else how his wife was.

"You're still in the doghouse." Vin assured him and strode across the room to Lenard.

Casper took a deep breath and ran a hand through his hair before settling in front of his computer. Happy grabbed two beers and arrived at his side, perching on the corner of his desk. He handed Casper a beer silently.

Casper looked him over as he took it. Happy very, very, rarely asked Casper how Gabby was. He didn't like having a go-between between him and his daughter. He only asked when Gabby was extremely mad.

"Still mad." Casper offered up, not making the proud old man ask. Happy nodded his head and took a pull from his beer as Casper turned and started typing on his computer. "Really mad." Casper mumbled. Happy paused putting his beer down and waited. "Slept in the den mad."

Happy sighed and got up from his perch. He patted Casper on the back and walked away, over to Vin and Lenard who were filling in Frankie. He preferred to get caught up on new information before church. Always had, but now as an officer he had the right.

* * *

"Nothing?" Shark asked for the second time and Casper rolled his eyes. The guys always seemed shocked when he came up with nothing, but hacking wasn't an exact fucking science.

"Nothing useful." Casper clarified his earlier statement. "The woman has no known ties to anyone with a record except her sister. Which I'm assuming is how Gabby got this info. The sister was picked up for prostitution and drug possession. She did a short stint and got put in Gabby's rehab center. She didn't have any clear ties to a particular dealer. There's no other family listed. No one else has been living in the house. Woman's never been married. Has one kid of her own, dad's straight up, paying child support, working in a warehouse in Santa Barbara. I can't tell you who these guys might be. We either camp out and keep watch or go in blind."

"I'm not a big fan of going in blind." Frankie put in his two cents.

"I'm not a big fan of letting those kids stay in a kitchen either." Vin spoke up.

Lenard folded his hands on the table. "Hap?" He turned to his newest officer.

"We let D-27 sit too long. They got comfortable, and cocky. We need to nip this in the bud. Now." Shark and Tom Tom both nodded their heads.

"Didn't work out too well for us last time. What if we just call the cops, tip them off. Let someone else handle shit till we get back on our feet." Bull put out his own solution.

All the men at the table turned to look at him.

"You want to call the cops?" Casper asked, not believing what he heard.

"We ARE back on our feet." Vin said sternly.

"Time for pussy footing around is over boys." Harry spoke, commanding attention, from the end of the table. "You youngens have had it easy. We all have. You can't handle what we have in front of us now; turn in your cuts at the door. I'm not having this conversation again."

"This conversation WON'T happen again." Lenard assured the table. "You need to explain yourself Bull."

Bull puffed out his chest and stared down his new president. "I'm not talking about the coward's way out. I'm talking about brains before bullets." He pointed to the sign behind Lenard's head.

"By calling the cops?" Casper scoffed. "When have the cops done shit? This is our town! We control it. If we turn this shit over to the cops we turn over all of our control."

"No cops." Happy stated, backing up his son in law.

"Fine, no cops. But I still think we should be smart about this." Bull continued to defend himself.

"We are being smart about it. This is what we do Bull." Frankie snapped and looked at Lenard.

Lenard nodded his head and picked up his gavel. "We go to the house. Put a stop to this. Roll out tomorrow at 9 a.m." He slammed his gavel down and pushed up out of his seat. He eyed his officers before looking to the rest of the group. "Get out!" He said forcefully and the non-officers all quickly left chapel.

"I'm done with him." Lenard said simply once Hap had closed the doors.

Vin ran a hand over his face. "Man's turned into a regular pain in the ass."

"A coward's more like it." Happy growled.

"Chris dying really shook him up." Frankie leaned back and crossed his arms.

"No, this shit started before Chris. He wants to be an outlaw, he ain't got the will. Ain't got the heart." Vin summed up his take on the man.

"What'll it take to get rid of him?" Lenard asked his officers.

"We can't drum him out for questioning you." Frankie shot down the idea he knew was on everyone mind.

"He's settled here. Living in the dorms for free. Getting paid for a job he couldn't get on his own. Drinking on our dime, pushing the sweet butts around…"

"I don't trust him to have my back." Happy interrupted Vin's rant.

"I'm starting to question that too. Don't think he's willing to put his ass on the line for any of us." Lenard agreed. "But how do we get rid of him?"

Happy cracked his knuckles. "We make it not worth his while."

* * *

Casper sat at the bar nursing a beer after church, Tom Tom next to him. Shark clapped them both on the back and nodded to the new girl behind the bar for a drink.

"Thanks hun." He winked at her and took a sip, sitting on the other side of Casper. "Would it be weird of me to give her flowers? I feel like this is a flowers kind of fight. I'd say jewelry, but she ain't my girl, so flowers…" Shark shrugged, knowing without asking that Gabby was still mad at him.

Casper looked forward and ignored him. "What's her favorite flower? Oh, wait… chocolate and wine. Would chocolate and wine be going too far?"

"What he do this time?" Tom Tom asked Casper.

"He crossed a line."

"I was trying to help." Shark got defensive.

"You didn't help." Casper got up and started outside to his bike. As much as he wanted to hide in the clubhouse he knew he'd catch hell if he didn't come home before dinner.

He rolled his eyes as he recognized the foot steps behind him as Shark.

"I'm sorry." Shark offered. Casper turned around and faced him.

"You're sorry? You turned my wife into a hysterical basket case, and you're sorry? Like it or not, you aren't a part of my family. There are things going on in my house that are none of your business, things you have no idea about. You need to stop inserting yourself into everything."

"I was just…"

"You were just trying to help. I know. I get it. But you didn't help. I don't need you to help me with my wife." With that Casper got on his bike and rode off the lot.

Shark stood and watched him go. He heard rather than saw Tom Tom exit the clubhouse and mount his bike as well.

"You ain't sticking around?" Shark called out.

"Got shit to do."

"Like what?" Shark asked skeptically.

Tom Tom grinned. "None of your business." He dug into Shark further and peeled out of the lot.

"None of my business." Shark muttered to himself going back into the clubhouse.

"Hey!" He called to the girl behind the bar. "Kaye, right?" He asked and she beamed, nodding her head and running over to him.

"How about making me your business tonight Kaye." He wrapped his arm around her and walked her to the pool table. He'd rather hang out with a whore than Bull.

* * *

Casper parked his bike in the garage and took a deep breath. He had no way of knowing how mad Gabby still was at him. The whole thing frustrated him. He had no part in bringing Tig here last night. All he had done was try to be supportive. And he ended up being the one she was the most mad at.

Well, maybe not the most mad at. Jesus, she had literally shoved Shark out of the house. Shoved him! And that was after she had stabbed him with a fork.

He wiped a hand over his face and slowly walked to the door. He opened it as quietly as he could so that he could stand and listen. He could hear both kids running around. Kristen was screaming at Mathew for taking something of hers. The running stopped with a loud thud and his two year old son started to wail loudly.

"Kristen!" Gabby yelled harshly and threw something metal into the sink.

"I didn't hit him, he fell!" Kristen yelled back as Casper came through the door and swooped up his sobbing son.

"You're okay little man." Casper kissed him and wiped his tears away.

"Daddy!" Kristen screamed and tried to jump on him, pulling on his arms for attention.

"How was school sweetie?"

"It was good daddy, we had art today. I painted a picture for Grandpa."

"I bet he'll love it." Casper smiled at his daughter as he walked to the kitchen. Gabby stared at him a moment while wiping her hands on a towel. She threw it down and walked towards him.

"Watch your brother sweetie. Be nice to him." Casper warned, setting his son on the floor.

"Garage. Now." Gabby whispered as she walked past him.

Casper turned around and watched her go before slowly following his angry wife to the garage.

She had buzzed the garage door closed and stood facing him in the semi darkness. He started to turn the overhead lights on but stopped and simply walked towards her. If she had wanted them on she would have turned them on.

"Anything you need to tell me?" Gabby asked, arms crossed.

Casper took the last few steps toward her and rested his hands on her hips. "I'm sorry. I love you." He whispered.

"Fuck you." Gabby spat out and pushed his hands off of her. "Something you should have told me WEEKS ago!"

Casper opened and closed his mouth a few times. He had no idea what Gabby was talking about.

"Love…I…" He sighed and threw his hands in the air shaking his head. He had no idea, not even a good guess.

"Kristen! Our daughter Casper! Kristen asking questions about Emily!"

"Oh Shit." Casper whispered.

"Oh shit? That's all you have to say? How could you not tell me?"

"I…I didn't think you needed to know okay? Hap and I answered her questions. I didn't want to upset you!"

"You didn't want to upset me?" He sighed inwardly, it was a stupid thing to say, he knew it was wrong the second it passed through his lips.

"Gabby…"

"Did you know about the pictures?"

"What pictures? OH...oh god…" He stepped towards her again and tried to touch her but she shoved his hands away and stepped back.

"You knew?" She swallowed back a sob. "You knew Jax was sending pictures? You didn't think maybe you should tell me? Warn me? Before I see my dead mother's face for the first time in 12 years?! Jesus Casper I burned those pictures for a fucking reason!" She held back her sobs but tears started streaming down her face.

"Love…hey…come on…" He stepped to her again trying to hug her, hold her, but she continued to shove his hands away and step back to get away from him till she collided with his bike.

He took the opportunity and grabbed her, holding her firmly to his chest. "I'm sorry. I'm so so sorry Gabby." He choked on his own tears trying to keep them at bay as she tried to pull away from him. "Please Love, I'm so sorry. Just tell me what to do. Tell me how to fix this. I'll do anything Gabby, please." She pulled away from him and he grabbed the sides of her head to force her to hear him out.

She slammed her fists into his chest. "You can't fix this! I opened that envelope and she was just there. And Kristen was so excited and I couldn't even say anything. I fell apart. And she just…" Gabby broke down and sobbed. Casper caught her as she collapsed and went down with her, collecting her in his lap. He stroked her hair and attempted to shush her. He wrapped his other arm around her as she continued to cry and push away from him.

"Gabby…"

"Stop."

"Gabby please Love…"

"Stop! Stop!" Gabby continued to sob and fight him and Casper finally let go of her. She crawled out of his lap and sat against Casper's car, drawing her knees up to her chest.

"Gabby." Casper knelt in front of her and rested his hands on her knees. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I should have told you. She stopped asking questions, and I swear I forgot about the pictures. I swear. I wouldn't put you through that on purpose. I'm so sorry Gabby. I love you. I love you so much."

"Just…just stop Casper. Stop. I don't care how many times you say you're sorry. Sorry won't fix this."

"Okay Gabby. What do you want me to do?" He kissed her knee and grabbed one of her hands, stroking it with his thumb.

"Just leave me alone."

"I'm not gonna do that Love."

"Please just go. Just…go inside, with the kids. I don't want them…to...to see this."

"Okay. Okay, hey, look at me." He grabbed her chin and caressed her face making her look him in the eye. "I'm gonna go inside. I'm gonna feed the kids. And then I'm gonna come back out here. And we are going to talk." He leaned over and kissed her briefly on the lips, she didn't respond and he sighed and stood up.

"I'll be right inside Gabby." He assured her and himself before going back inside.

* * *

Casper set up a movie for the kids to watch and went into the kitchen. He leaned his elbows on the counter and buried his head in his hands. He felt helpless and he hated it. He had no idea how to help his wife right now.

Any given day would have had her falling apart over pictures of her mother. But this happening now, after she had been so upset last night, after whatever had been said between her and Tig…he really didn't know if she was going to be okay.

His first instinct was to call Happy, but he couldn't do that. Gabby hated feeling like she was being ganged up on. That was probably why she had gotten so upset last night.

"Daddy!" Kristen ran in the kitchen and Mathew followed her. "We're hungry daddy! Are you making dinner?" She sounded slightly curious at the notion. Casper cooked plenty, but Gabby was halfway through preparing something already.

"Yeah sweetie, I'm cooking. Mom…has something else she needs to do." Casper squatted down to talk to his daughter.

"Is she getting me a frame for Grandma's picture?" Kristen asked. "She said I could put one in a frame in my room…"

"Is that really what you want to do?" Casper asked. He couldn't let her do that. Gabby would never be able to go in Kristen's room again.

"Yes. Do you want to see the pictures Uncle Jax sent me? They're in my room. I'll get them." Kristen ran off up the stairs and Casper caught Mathew before he followed.

"Stay with me little man." He stood up with his son on his hip and took in what Gabby had started for dinner.

"Here daddy!" Kristen ran back to the kitchen.

Casper set Mathew down and took the pictures. They were all of a young woman. Two of the four were obviously scanned out of old yearbooks. The other two were in club settings. They were carefully cropped and photo shopped to show only her face.

She couldn't be any more than 20 in any of the pictures. He couldn't tell if they were before or after Gabby was born. He could tell that Gabby took after Tig a lot more than Emily. The only thing his wife clearly had from her mother was her nose.

"Daddy?" Kristen peered over the photos at him. "Do you like them? I think Grandma was pretty. I want to frame this one." She pulled one of the club photos out of the stack. "I like her smile in this one."

Casper looked at her selection. He did enough photo shopping to know that her eyes had been changed. Though he couldn't tell if it was normal red eye that had been taken out or if she had been high. The shirt she appeared to be wearing wasn't original to the picture either, and the blob behind her that had been artificially blurred was a cut.

Jax had sent his daughter a picture of her stoned grandmother topless on a man's lap. That, a cropped photo that Emily had been in the background of behind the bar, and two yearbook photos. That was the best all of Charming had to offer of Emily Duncan.

Jesus Christ, he thought, were these the types of pictures Gabby had burned?

"Sweetie, why do you want to put your grandmother's picture in a frame?" Kristen shrugged.

"You never knew her. So it's not because you miss her. You don't have pictures of my parents in your room." Casper's mother had left when he was young. His father died when Casper was in college and Casper had no relationship with his stepmother. A lack of family was what had drawn him to the Sons in the first place, that and a place that he could use his hacking skills.

"But you have pictures of them."

"I do, but they aren't in frames. They're in photo albums. What do you think about starting your own photo album? You can use these pictures, and I'll get you copies of my parents' pictures, and we can find you pictures of Grandpa, and all your uncles. Okay?"

Kristen tipped her head and thought for a moment.

"That way all your pictures will be in one place, and you can look at them whenever you want. I'll help you. It can be a special project for just the two of us."

That made her beam and nod her head and Casper sighed with relief. One major crisis averted.

"Can you go put these in your room somewhere safe and we will go to the store this weekend and pick out a photo album." He handed her back the pictures.

"Okay daddy." Kristen ran up the stairs again and Mathew followed her. Casper didn't try to stop him this time, he had to focus on dinner. He struggled up from his squatted position and blew out a breath before restarting dinner.

* * *

Kaye was bent over the pool table, avidly listening to Shark's instructions that he was whispering in her ear. He was grinding his hard on against her ass, and as much as she was enjoying the game she couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't taking her to a room. Carol had made it seem like the guys only wanted the girls around for one reason, well, two if you counted being served liquor.

Shark stood up straight, running his hands along Kaye's sides, when the chapel door opened and the officers walked out. Frankie didn't look happy. Lenard and Vin walked side by side, they had become considerably closer since Chris' passing. Happy walked with a determined step up to Bull who was with another sweet butt on one of the sofas.

"Ring." Happy said simply and lifted Bull clear off the sofa by just his upper arm. Hap dropped him on the floor and waited for him to clamor up.

"Got no beef with you brother." Bull put up his arms in surrender.

"I got one with you, Brother." Hap spat in his face with a snarl in his voice and stalked out of the clubhouse.

Bull glanced at Shark for help but the slightly older patch simply smiled and bent the startled sweet butt back over the pool table to line up her shot again.

Bull looked to the other officers, but they were all simply standing, staring at him, and waiting. Bull let out a heavy sigh and pushed through the clubhouse doors.

"Go for it darling." Shark whispered encouragement in her ear and she took her shot. She missed by a fraction and he smacked her ass.

"Bad girl Kaye, now I gotta start from the beginning."

* * *

Tom Tom leaned against the apartment door waiting for Becky and Suzie. The pizza in his hands was making his stomach growl. He had taken the tow truck here, yet again, so that he could bring dinner, and maybe take the girls out for ice cream. Kids love ice cream. And the forethought to bring the truck would hopefully earn him some brownie points.

"Chicken nuggets." He heard Suzie say as she must have been jumping up the stairs, or at least that is what it sounded like to him.

"No chicken nuggets." Becky sounded exhausted. Perhaps he should have called before showing up, but he had said last night that he would be coming back.

"Waffles!" Suzie made another suggestion, more excited about this one.

"Waffles are breakfast food, and we don't have any."

"Lasagna."

"Only if you buy all the stuff and do all the work." Becky answered and Tom Tom grinned.

"Tom Tom!" Suzie saw him as soon as they reached the landing and ran to him. "Tom Tom came back!" Suzie yelled over her shoulder to her mother who was still standing at the end of the hall. "Ohh pizza, what kind of pizza? Mommy doesn't want to cook dinner."

"Suzie!" Becky cringed with embarrassment and Tom Tom looked up at her and grinned as Suzie dragged him down to her level.

"It's mushroom and black olive pizza." Tom Tom informed Suzie. It was Becky's favorite, and he knew Suzie would eat it too although she preferred peperoni, and it was a healthier choice, another brownie point inspired idea.

"That's mommy's favorite kind of pizza."

"I know." Tom Tom said to Becky instead of Suzie as he stood back up. "Hey Becky."

"Tom Tom." She greeted him and rolled her eyes at how stupid she thought she sounded as she unlocked the door.

"Thought I'd bring dinner." He shrugged as Becky held the door open for him and Suzie.

"Thanks I…wasn't sure if you'd be by tonight." She hung her purse on a hook next to the door and immediately turned the air on. The apartment was already a lot cooler to start with than it had been last night.

"Told you I'd come by and fix Suzie's window." This got the young girls attention and she started jumping up and down.

"Is it gonna open?"

"Yup." Tom Tom walked into the kitchen and set the pizza down on the counter.

"Come on Tom Tom!" Suzie grabbed his hand and did her best to pull him towards her bedroom. Tom Tom looked down at her, standing still, watching her pull with all her might.

"How about after dinner." Tom Tom tried to calm her down and Becky raised her eyebrows at him, she crossed her arms and watched him attempt to parent her child. He swallowed nervously. "We gotta eat the pizza while it's hot. But then you can help me fix your window."

Suzie let go of his hand so quickly she stumbled back and he grabbed her hand back to steady her. "You need me to help you?" Suzie's eyes got wide and she grinned from ear to ear. "Really? I can help you?"

"Yeah…I need your little hands to hold all the tiny screws." He regretted it the moment he said it, afraid she would lose the screws but the proud look on her face assured him it would be worth the aggravation. There was no way he could make Suzie that happy and not prove himself to Becky.

* * *

Casper finished feeding the kids and set them back in front of the abandoned movie from earlier. He took a deep breath before opening the door to the garage. He was really hoping Gabby had calmed down, he was also terrified he was gonna find her in a sobbing heap on the floor.

"Gabby." He said her name out loud when he didn't immediately see her in the garage and quickly jogged down the steps. He walked in front of the two cars looking between them and inside of them. "Gabby!" He yelled out a little more panicked and started a thorough search of the garage.

He stopped and banged his head against the wall. What was he doing? She wasn't gonna be hiding in a fucking cupboard. He buzzed the garage open and stopped himself from running around the house in a panic. He walked calmly, looking everywhere, hoping to see her in the driveway, or on the front porch.

She wasn't there.

He went to the backyard, opened the gate and walked through to the other side. She wasn't there. She wasn't sitting on the lawn furniture or by the swing set. He went through the other gate and back around to the front of the house. He took a deep breath and thought when he reached the garage.

She hadn't waited for him in the garage. She wasn't outside. But both the cars and his bike were here. It was entirely possible she had snuck back into the house while he was cooking, or while he was feeding the kids.

He buzzed the garage closed again and went inside the house. He checked the basement first, searched it thoroughly, came up empty. He came back up and checked on the kids. They were content, and alone. He walked around the kitchen island just to assure himself she wasn't there and checked the bathroom and the den.

He opened the door to the coat closet and rolled his eyes at himself. She wasn't playing a game of hide and go seek with the kids. She was probably curled up in a ball in their bed. Or worse yet, Jesus. She was in Kristen's room with the pictures.

He forced himself to go up the stairs silently instead of bonding up them like his brain, and heart were screaming for him to do.

He took a deep breath before twisting Kristen's door knob and pushing the door open.

"Love?" He called out and stepped in the room. She wasn't there. He walked all the way through the room, spinning in a circle. The pictures were sitting on Kristen's dresser on top of the envelope they must have come in. She hadn't taken them.

He walked through the adjoining bathroom into Mathew's room and then back out into the hall. His heart was racing now. Every room he entered that she wasn't in made his stomach clench just a little more.

He pushed the last door in the house open and entered the master bedroom. "Gabby, love?" He raced to the bed but the lump he wished was his wife was only the unmade bed he had left after waking alone this morning. He walked into the bathroom and chocked back a sob.

"Gabby…Gabby…" He walked back out of the bathroom and sat on the bed. "Jesus Gabby where the fuck are you?!"

He grabbed his cellphone out of his jeans pocket and hit number one on his speed dial. He let the phone ring and ring as he hurried back out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and into the garage.

He hung up the phone when the voicemail picked up. He had no fucking idea what to say to her. He dialed the number again, bouncing on his heels. He eyed the garage as his phone rang, looking for anything out of place.

He walked over to his bike when he saw one of his saddle bags unbuckled. He lifted the flap as the voicemail picked up again. He pressed end and looked in the bag.

His gun was gone.

His breath caught in his throat, his pulse quickened, he looked back at his phone as if it was a foreign object before snapping out of it and moving to the next number on his speed dial. It rang four long times.

"Yeah?"

"I need you." He managed in a shaky voice.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_

_Throw me some Kudos if you liked it and got nothing to say :D:D_


	17. Chapter 17

_A big special thank you to the freak circle, and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle, check out her work!_

_I know i didn't respond to all the reviews, and i apologize! Went back to work last week after being on vacation and of course walked into a pile of shit to fix! Plus i'm writing a few chapters ahead and have a lot i'm trying to figure out and keep track of and leave tidbits for what is to come while still pulling stuff in from the past. I have a head ache just trying to list it all. And of course you gotta throw a house guest from out of town into the mix to make it all easier on me..._

_And now to first off answer the most asked question in reviews: Who did Casper call? Read On!_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

"Casper?" Shark sat up in bed immediately at the tone of his best friend's voice.

"I need you. At the house. Right now."

"I'm there." Shark promised him and turned off the phone. He jumped out of bed and started throwing his clothes back on.

"We weren't finished." Kaye got out of bed coyly and ran a hand down Shark's chest. "I haven't gotten mine."

"Sorry darling, fun's over." He grabbed her hand and shoved it off of him, leaving the dorm with his shirt and cut in his hands.

He put his shirt on as he made his way through the clubhouse and shrugged his cut on as he charged through the lot. He heard someone, Frankie maybe, calling his name but he ignored it, mounted his bike and peeled out of the lot.

* * *

The garage door was open when Shark pulled in the driveway. Casper was perched sideways on his bike, one hand clutching his cellphone. His face was buried in the other. Shark parked and jumped off his bike, running to the garage.

"Casper?" Shark grabbed the handle of Casper's bike with one hand and pulled his hand away from his face with the other. "Casper?" He said more forcefully and grabbed Casper's hair tugging his head up to meet his eyes.

"She left. She's not here. She left. She…fuck, Shark."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He backed up a step and looked over Casper. Realization hit him, "Gabby left?"

"She has my gun, I gotta find her. I…I need you to watch the kids while I look for her."

Shark looked around the garage. "Casper, she didn't take her car. She probably just went for a walk."

"She's not answering her phone."

"Well…she's pissed. She left. She's not gonna answer you." He pulled out his own phone and scrolled down to Gabby's number. He put it on speaker and held it out for Casper but it just kept ringing. Voicemail picked up and Shark moved the phone back to himself.

"Gab's call me. It's ah, about the house and the kid, want to get them some stuff. Clothes maybe, or toys, need some details on the kid. Before tomorrow." He pressed end and shrugged at Casper's exasperated look.

"You need to calm down."

"I need to go find her!"

"She's on foot Casper. She's not leaving you. She just needs to blow off some steam."

"She took my gun!" His voice cracked on the last word and he jumped up from the bike.

"Good. She's walking around Fresno. She's pissed, but she had the presence of mind to not go out unarmed."

"No, no no no, Shark…Jesus, I…"

"Casper, Gabby's not gonna do anything stupid. She's not like that. She wouldn't do…that…"

"Yes she would."

"No she wouldn't Casper, come inside with me. Tell me what happened." Shark said slowly, trying to calm Casper down, reassure him that he wasn't alone.

"She would, she would Shark."

"Gabby's gonna off herself because she's pissed at you?"

"No, Gabby's gonna…off…herself because Jax sent pictures of her mother to Kristen and she was a hysterical wreck when I got home."

Shark paused in his walk to the door and turned around to Casper. "She freaked over the pictures?" He could just imagine it; there wasn't a single picture of Emily in the house. Even when the topic of Tig came up Emily wasn't mentioned unless necessary.

"Over the pictures, and me not telling her, and Tig, and the fucking tooth fairy, and all of us ganging up on her last night."

"Okay," Shark put his hands up and walked back to Casper. "Okay, she's upset. She's really upset. But you need to calm down. Gabby won't hurt herself. She's blowing off steam. She's not that kind of person. Not when she's angry, not when she's upset. She might lash out at others, but she would never hurt herself."

"She might."

"She won't."

"She nearly did already."

* * *

Tom Tom was pleasantly surprised at Suzie's level of concentration when it came time to help him. She held both her hands out flat and let Tom Tom fill them with screws. She knew her right from her left hand and would hold up whichever one he asked for as he needed a part.

He had to smile at just how excited she was to have a window that opened. Becky had him put the stoppers on the window so Suzie could only open it three inches without someone's help. At the moment it was open completely and Becky turned the fan on in the corner. The room needed a good airing out after years of being closed up.

Suzie had thanked him profusely and given him a tight hug when he had finished. She wrapped her arms tight around his neck, the only part of him her short arms could fit around, and held on tight till Tom Tom picked her up and hugged her back.

Tom Tom was waiting anxiously for Becky to praise him. He was also mad at himself for that fact, but he couldn't help it. Suzie seemed to be enjoying herself. Becky hadn't needed to step in and handle anything, and Tom Tom was getting a little more comfortable as the evening went on. Suzie really wasn't that hard to get along with. She was well behaved, and was used to being surrounded by adults. It was her excitement and affection that threw him off more than anything. But he was starting to find it rather cute.

"Thought maybe I'd take you two out for ice cream." He whispered to Becky as the two left Suzie in her room to color and sat on the couch.

"If we get ice cream we should take her to the park, let her run off the sugar." Becky informed him with a shrug.

"We could do that too. Got plenty of daylight left."

Becky eyed him suspiciously but smiled and stood up. She started to walk back to Suzie's room but stopped and walked back to him.

"You know, when I said what I did last night…I was half expecting not to see you again. How are you going from hating my kid to doting on her all of a sudden?"

"I never hated Suzie." He stood up and grabbed Becky's arms gently. "I just... kids aren't my thing. I don't know how to 'play' with them. And…I never had a reason to try till now."

"Kristen and Mathew?" Becky asked.

"I made it clear I wasn't gonna be the playful uncle. Casper understood. He never pushed the kids on me. I guess I just needed someone to give me a good reason." He bent his head and gave her a soft peck on the lips.

* * *

"What the hell are you talking about?" Shark looked at Casper completely lost. He couldn't, he wouldn't believe Gabby had ever tried to kill herself.

Casper sat back down on his bike. He felt like his legs might give way at any moment.

"Casper, brother, you gotta talk to me."

He looked back up and ran a hand through his hair. Casper was the only person Gabby had ever told. Happy didn't know, hell, even Charlene didn't know. If he told Shark now she would never forgive him.

Shark was getting more and more impatient. "Okay, I'm calling Hap." Shark took out his phone and started scrolling through his contacts again.

"NO!" Casper leapt up and grabbed Shark's phone, tossing it on the seat of his bike. "Look, just, just please stay here while I go look for her."

"We can call the guys to look for her. You need to stay here in case she comes home. Or have you forgotten just how pissed at me she is right now? Hap might know where she would go."

"She has nowhere here she would go. If we were in Charming you'd be right. But she didn't grow up here. She doesn't have a place she goes when she's mad. She…she's never left before. Jesus Shark…I gotta find her…if she…"

"She won't." Shark interrupted him. "I'm gonna call…"

"NO! We can't call the others. I can't have the whole club looking for her. I need to be the one to find her."

"I don't care if she's gonna flip out on you for involving them. You're not giving me anything here Casper. She's pissed. You think she's capable of fucking shooting herself. You're telling me she's tried before. NO Casper. I don't believe that. Gabby WOULDN'T do that. No matter how angry or upset she is. She won't do that. Not to herself, not to the kids, not to you."

Casper ran both hands through his hair and looked around the garage. He pulled his phone out and dialed her number again, hanging up when it reached voicemail.

"Let's go inside, have a beer. Tell me why she left. We can figure out together where she might have gone." Shark offered.

"I don't want the kids to hear. I don't want them to worry." Casper ran a hand down his face again. He was an utter wreck.

Shark nodded his head. "Brother, if she's mad, needs to blow off steam, we should just wait here and stop calling her. If you really think she's gonna hurt herself I'm gonna call the club to hunt her down." He pulled his phone off Casper's bike to back up his threat. "Start talking."

* * *

Tom Tom Becky and Suzie walked down the staircase towards the parking lot. "I brought the truck." Tom Tom nodded his head towards it.

"There's no backseat." Becky reminded him.

"Front seat fits three." Tom Tom shrugged his shoulders.

"Suzie has to ride in the back; she still has a booster seat." Tom Tom dropped his gaze to the ground and held in an eye roll. Why the hell did safety laws have to be so strict? He thought better of suggesting they take the truck and screw the booster seat.

"Car's over here." Becky smiled at him, amused at his obvious annoyance.

"Guess I'm gonna need to start borrowing a cage." Tom Tom muttered as they changed direction.

"Or get one of your own." Becky chimed in and hit the unlock button so Suzie could let herself in and climb into her seat. She had herself buckled in by the time the adults got to the car.

Tom Tom held his hand out for the keys. "I'll drive." He tried to make it sound like he was doing her a favor.

"That's alright." Becky smiled, knowing he would hate being driven around by a woman, and climbed into the driver's seat as he opened the door for himself.

Tom Tom ground his teeth and shut the door before walking around to the passenger's side. "Definitely getting my own cage." He mumbled out loud before opening the other door and climbing in next to Becky.

* * *

"She was 16." Casper started, still hesitant. He had sunk down to the garage floor and was leaning against his cage. Shark grabbed a soccer ball to sit on and settled right in front of him.

"Her mom…well, you can imagine how she was treated on a daily basis. But I guess her mom said something along the lines of wishing Gabby had never been born. It sent her over the edge."

Shark had to bite his tongue to keep from interrupting. He knew Happy had gone nomad when Gabby was 16. He assumed that would have made things better for Gabby, not worse.

"She put herself into anaphylactic shock." Shark nodded his head, he knew about Gabby's food allergy, she had gotten the kids tested, they both had the same thing. Fresno clubhouse was seafood free. "Her throat swelled shut. She was clawing at it for air. Said it felt like choking, with the panic and not being able to scream, that it felt like hours, but it was just a few minutes. Getting just enough air that she wouldn't pass out, but not enough to stop her lungs from burning."

Shark ran a hand down his throat involuntarily. The picture Casper was painting was making him want to gag. He started taking slow deep breaths as he imagined not being able to get enough air.

"She gave in finally, couldn't take it anymore. Shot herself with an epi pen. It wasn't an 'I want to live' decision though. She just couldn't take it anymore. Decided to try a different way."

Shark couldn't meet Casper's eyes. His friend's voice was cracking as he told the story. Shark had never imagined Gabby had tried to kill herself. "Did she have another plan?" Shark whispered, feeling sick to his stomach.

Casper nodded his head. "She was waiting for her mom to score." He ran a hand over his face. "She was gonna OD."

"But she didn't, right?" Shark took a quick inhale of breath. "She didn't try again?"

"No." Casper shook his head and took a deep shaky breath in. "No, Happy showed up the next day. She was drunk, stoned, they fought, Happy freaked out on her. She never told him she tried…but he knew her head was…there…She never told him. To this day I don't think he knows. It would kill him to find out how close he was to losing her."

Shark couldn't believe what he was hearing. Couldn't believe the Gabby he knew today would ever try something like that. Or that she would have kept it a secret from Happy. They were so close now. How could Happy not know?

"Casper…Gabby…she was 16, depressed, alone. She wouldn't do that now. She's happy now, adjusted, she has you and the kids and Happy and this whole damn club." Shark assured his brother. But he certainly understood now why Casper was freaking out; Shark was trying not to freak out now too.

* * *

Becky drove to a park she knew of that always had an ice cream cart open this time of year. It was a ways from the apartment but that was good; they were in a better neighborhood.

Suzie took hold of both their hands as they walked through the parking lot. Becky could tell it took Tom Tom by surprise but he held on tight anyway.

"What can I get mommy?" Suzie asked, licking her lips at the pictures on the side of the cart as they waited in line.

"Anything you want, but just one thing." The cart only sold prepackaged bars of ice cream so there was no need to limit scoops or toppings.

"What do you want?" Tom Tom asked as the ice cream man handed Suzie her order. He rested his hand on the middle of her back as he spoke.

"I'm good." She smiled coyly as she dug in her purse for cash.

"I got it." He covered her hand with his free one before handing the man a few singles.

"Let's eat at the table Suzie." Becky pointed to a picnic table as Suzie carefully opened her ice cream.

"Thank you Tom Tom!" Suzie managed to get out before starting to lick the filling out of her ice cream sandwich.

"Yes, thanks Tom Tom." Becky smiled up at him, moving closer to him, as Suzie ran ahead to the table.

"You're welcome." He smiled back and ran his hand from her back to her shoulder. He took a quick scan of the park before sitting down with his girls. Yeah, definitely his girls he decided as he sat. He didn't have to get used to Suzie, he just had to give her a chance. There was no way he could not warm up to her instantly.

Becky laughed at Suzie's ice cream covered nose. Suzie licked more ice cream out of the middle of the sandwich and Tom Tom couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"You eating it wrong Suzie." He said in a teasing voice. "It's a sandwich, you bite it." He took a bite out of an imaginary sandwich.

"No! You have to lick all the ice cream out of the middle and then eat the chocolate bits." Suzie explained with a giggle.

"I've apparently been eating sandwiches wrong my entire life." He shook his head. "I'll have to try that tomorrow with my turkey and swiss."

The idea of that made Suzie giggle again as she finished the ice cream and started eating the chocolate. Tom Tom scanned the park again and Becky caught him this time. "Is everything okay?" She asked quietly, slightly alarmed.

"Yeah." He gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Just habit."

* * *

Shark felt numb as he looked down at his best friend. He took a deep breath and pulled out his phone. "I'm gonna call Hap."

"No!" Casper scrambled up to his knees and grabbed the phone from Shark. "She'll kill me. I can't do that to her Shark."

"Casper… You either tell me that she is fine, and just blowing off steam, and we will sit here and wait for her; OR you tell me she might be suicidal and we need to find her. And if that's what you really think than I don't give a flying fuck how mad she gets when the whole fucking club goes looking for her."

Casper sat back down and took a deep breath. He needed to think everything through before he made the situation worse. He wanted to believe she was just blowing off steam. He did, in fact, believe she was just blowing off steam. But the one little fraction of his brain screaming at him about the gun wouldn't shut up. And if Gabby did in fact hurt herself…he would never forgive himself. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. But if she was just blowing off steam and the club went looking for her it would make everything so much worse.

Shark had no idea Gabby had ever been suicidal. He didn't know because Gabby wasn't that person anymore. She hadn't been that person in years. Since before she came to Fresno.

Gabby would never kill herself the way her mother had.

"We should wait here for her." Casper finally decided and spoke out loud.

"Okay, come on, let's go inside." Shark reached down and took Casper's hand firmly, pulling him off the floor.

* * *

Gabby had no idea where she was going when she left the house. She went the opposite way of the clubhouse and just kept walking. She couldn't sit in the garage and wait for Casper. She didn't want to talk. She couldn't put what she was feeling into words.

Walking at a steady pace in the heat did nothing to decrease her anger, but it did exhaust her enough to slow her down. She started looking at street signs and made a few turns. She had been heading into a bad area and though she'd had the forethought to grab Casper's gun she wasn't gonna purposely put herself in danger.

She headed instead toward Vivica. She didn't want to talk things out with the woman, and she was well aware Viv would attempt to pry, but she wouldn't call anyone. Gabby could stay there as long as she needed. Vivica was always good for seeking comfort from. She had been a pseudo mom to Gabby ever since she moved to Fresno.

It was a seven mile trip between Gabby's house and Vivica's; seven miles directly between the two houses. Gabby hadn't taken a direct route. By the time she got to the house she was exhausted and dripping in sweat. She started to walk up the driveway but stopped. The garage was open but Vivica's SUV wasn't there. There were however two cars Gabby didn't recognize in the driveway.

Not wanting to interrupt anything she felt her pockets for her phone, planning on texting Viv. It wasn't there. She sighed and thought back. She had put her phone in her shorts pocket after she changed out of her work clothes. It had buzzed while she was cooking. Gabby had ignored, not in a state to care, numbly going about her routine with the kids. Kristen had dug her phone out instead, told her it was a coupon, asked to go to said store, and had walked off pouting when Gabby said no. Possibly snapped no instead of said no. She cringed at her tone with her daughter. She would have to apologize.

Also however, she had never gotten her phone back. She had no idea what time it was without it, but she knew she had been gone over an hour, two maybe since she had walked so far. She knew she should head back. She knew Casper would be sick with worry. She backed out of the driveway and turned back the way she came.

She didn't really want to go home though. She didn't want to face what was there. She wasn't used to talking about things she didn't want to talk about. Her mother had never cared to speak of problems or fights. Happy would push for it and insist on it when he had any idea there was a problem, but he was never there. As long as she didn't open her mouth he usually had no idea.

She didn't like talking about her problems. As childish as avoidance was it seemed like the best option. She turned down the very next street and continued to walk.

* * *

Shark snuck quietly into the house and snagged two beers. He handed one to Casper and downed the other as fast as he could. He had seemingly convinced Casper that Gabby would be okay. His own confidence in that belief was dwindling. If anything happened to Gabby while they weren't looking for her, fuck. He'd eat his gun.

"Uncle Shark!" Kristen squealed when she saw him and ran into the kitchen. He picked her up immediately and kissed her cheek.

"Hay ya munchkin. You save me any dinner?" The thought of food entering his knotted up stomach made him gag. He had to set Kristen back on the floor and swallow down bile.

"There's leftovers, but daddy cooked." Shark couldn't help but laugh and Casper snapped out of his fog.

"Hey! Your mother made it, I just finished it." He walked further into the kitchen and opened his beer.

"It's crispy, and he didn't put cheese on top." Kristen whispered as Shark bent down to pick Mathew up.

"You didn't complain when you were eating it." Casper defending himself, although he knew he had been distracted while finishing the casserole Gabby had started. He had completely forgotten to set the oven timer.

"We didn't want to make you feel bad." Kristen shrugged speaking for her bother as well. Mathew sat happily on Shark's hip and Shark gave his head a kiss, resting his free hand on Kristen's head. This was why he loved kids so much. No matter how bad things got, kids were always good at bringing you back to mundane reality.

"Will you take us to the park Uncle Shark?" Kristen asked, wrapping herself around his side and looking up at him, daring him to turn her down.

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her closer to his side. "Not today munchkin. I got my bike here."

Kristen's eyes grew wider and she put on her best smile. "Will you take me for a ride Uncle Shark, please!"

Shark opened and closed his mouth. He had taken her before. Technically she was allowed. But Gabby wasn't fond of it, which seemed hypocritical. Happy himself had pointed out Gabby was often on his bike at Kristen's age. But it didn't matter. Shark wasn't gonna do anything to knowingly upset Gabby anymore. Ever.

"Not tonight munchkin. How about you get a swimsuit on and I'll set up the sprinkler?" Shark offered instead. He wasn't leaving till Gabby came home. And Casper was in no state to entertain the kids.

"Okay!" Kristen let go of him and ran up to her room.

Casper cringed at the noise. "Should have gotten a ranch." He muttered while taking Mathew from Shark. "I'll get him changed. Thanks."

"Of course." Shark patted his back hard before stripping off his cut and shirt. "I'll get the water going."

* * *

Tom Tom stood back as Becky ran through the playground with Suzie. He had been cool with pushing the young girl on the swings but he was decidedly too big to follow her through the plastic castles or across the draw bridges. And he was extremely grateful for that fact.

He stepped up to hold onto Suzie's legs as she attempted the monkey bars. Becky jumped down to walk under the bars.

"Oh no you don't, back up." Tom Tom spotted her and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah mommy do the monkey bars!" Suzie jumped excitedly on the landing.

Tom Tom grinned and walked up to Becky. "I'll hold you up." He promised, getting as close as he could, pressing his chest against her perky tits. She grinned back and raised her eyebrows. He picked her up suddenly and she squealed. Suzie laughed and clapped her hands as Tom Tom hoisted Becky up to the bars.

"Fine fine!" Becky yelled and kicked her feet. "I don't need your help thank you very much!" Tom Tom laughed and let go as she did the monkey bars. Tom Tom felt eyes on him and looked over his shoulder, scanning the park once more as Becky finished the bars.

He spotted Gabby on the side walk and looked around for the rest of her family. He was disturbed to find her alone, especially so close after Chris' death.

"Tom Tom." Becky hopped down when she reached the end and looked at him. "You keep looking around, should we not be here?"

"No," Tom Tom turned around to face her. "No I just…I swear I just saw Gabby."

"Gabby comes to this park all the time, the kids love it." Becky assured him. "We should invite her over. Kids will play together, give us a chance to be alone." Tom Tom smiled at the idea and gave Becky a quick peck on the lips. He yearned to do more but hadn't had the chance since their first, mind blurring, kiss. He chastised himself to go slow. As much as he wanted Becky, she wasn't the type to just hop in bed with him. She would hate herself for it, and resent him.

He turned back around but Gabby seemed to be gone. He scanned the area he saw her in, the parking lot, the ice cream stand, he looked for her, listened for her kids, looked for a cut thinking Casper might be with her. He had lost her, and rather quickly. He didn't think twice at grabbing his cell phone and dialing her number. He knew he hadn't mistaken someone else for Gabby. He knew her hair alone without a doubt.

* * *

Casper had just succeeded in wresting Mathew into his swim trunks when he heard buzzing. He checked his own phone but it wasn't flashing. He leapt up and went into the adjoining bathroom, there was Gabby's phone, vibrating on the floor next to Kristen's stuffed bunny. Why either were on the bathroom floor was beyond him but he didn't care, he answered it without looking at the name.

"Yeah?" He said, praying to hear his wife's voice. On her own phone, he shook his head, he was losing his mind.

"Casper?" Tom Tom asked confused.

"Tom Tom?" Casper's heart dropped into his stomach and he snatched Mathew up and started carrying him back down the stairs.

"Hey…thought I called Gabby…"

"You did. Kids snagged her phone." Casper added, turning it on speaker as Shark walked up to him and snagged Mathew. Shark shook his head at Gabby's phone. Explained a lot.

"Oh, well, okay. You guys at the park?"

"No. Why? Wait, you're at a park?"

"Yeah, with Becky and Suzie. Gabby was here. I swear she was, but I guess not. Never mind."

"WAIT!" Casper and Shark both screamed into the phone. Shark put Mathew down and the boy attempted to clamor back up his leg.

"What park?"

"Did you talk to her?"

"When, now?"

"What park?" Casper and Shark yelled over each other into the phone.

Tom Tom pulled the phone away from his ear as they continued. He could make out both Casper and Shark, and he could here Mathew in the background. He quickly put two and two together.

"Guys, GUYS!" He yelled to shut them up. "She's at Figarden. She probably left when she saw me. Five minutes ago, tops."

"Fuck. Thanks." Casper blew out a breath. Shark stepped away, relief clear on his face, and picked Mathew back up.

"You want me to go after her?" Tom Tom offered, stepping away from Becky and lowering his voice.

"No…but umm, if you spot her again, let me know." Casper answered. He wanted to say yes, please, please go after her. But that would not end well.

"Alright." Tom Tom hung up and pocketed his phone. He turned back and walked over to Becky who was watching Suzie but obviously waiting for him.

"Had lunch with Gabby today. She was…containing her anger." Becky said off hand.

"Yeah…I think it may have bubbled over."

* * *

"How far away is that park?" Shark asked.

"A good 10 miles from here." Casper opened up an app on Gabby's phone and scrolled through a map of the area. "Opposite direction of the clubhouse. Closer to Chris…Viv's house." Casper corrected himself. "I should…"

"No." Shark preempted him. "She's good. She's walking it off. She walked away from Tom Tom, so she obviously isn't done yet. Just leave her be. Come out with me and the kids."

Casper nodded and went through Gabby's phone, he debated deleting all the missed calls but didn't. He did delete Tom Tom's call. Only so she wouldn't see he answered her phone. He tossed the phone on the kitchen counter and went out the back door. Kristen was already playing alone and had dragged the sprinkler up to the top of the slide. Smart girl. He grabbed the kiddie pool to collect water at the bottom and joined her.

Shark looked at Mathew and bounced him up and down a few times to make him smile. He was sweaty from the 5 minutes he spent outside getting the water on and the sprinkler set up. Gabby was 10 miles away. He set Mathew down and pulled out his phone.

* * *

_Thanks for reading :D_


	18. Chapter 18

_A larger than life thank you to the freak circle, and as always my lovely beta EmeraldJewelSparkle. _

_I hope you guys aren't getting too confused with all the page breaks, and if you are, just imagine how i feel trying to write them! ugh But all of this is basically happening simultaneously._

_Why aren't you following me on twitter? you really should follow me on twitter...i can guarantee you anyone that doesn't follow me missed a VERY entertaining evening last night :D Also, don't be surprised if Filthy Phil randomly gets brutally murdered sometime in the near future of this story. I can't think of a way to fit it in yet, but the mother fucker needs to die. Again twitter._

_ kiara8921_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Gabby hadn't planned on going to the park, but just like before she was exhausted and started reading street signs. She spotted Becky's car in the parking lot and was slightly relieved. She needed a friendly face.

She headed onto the grass, looking for Becky and spotted her with Tom Tom. She stopped, not sure what to do. She liked Tom Tom, but he was Casper's brother first and foremost. If he saw her he'd call Casper. She wasn't ready for that.

She backed up and walked away. She felt lost. She didn't want to go home. There was no one for her to turn to. She felt as alone as she did in Charming.

* * *

"You feel better now Hap?" Lenard asked while Frankie was cutting the bloody tape off his hands.

"A little." Hap shrugged, flexed his fingers and smiled, satisfied. His left eye was swollen and his lip was split. Both injuries were inflicted early on in the fight. Hap had left Bull with the same damage to his face, and more. The experienced fighter had used mostly body shots on the younger man. Not as flashy, much more effective. Happy had hit him in the face out of pride. No way he was gonna leave the ring looking worse, even if he had knocked out his opponent.

He'd saved the head for last though. The hit to the eye sending Bull teetering, the hit to the jaw knocked him out. Bull's chest was gonna look like an eggplant tomorrow, and he would most definitely be pissing blood. Hap grinned again at that thought and Frankie shook his head.

"What should we do with him?" Vin asked, standing in the ring, looming over a still unconscious Bull.

"Get him cleaned up!" Lenard yelled back. Not really caring. "He better be able to ride tomorrow." The president turned back to Hap. "Harry ain't going. We're gonna need Bull, like it or not."

"Tony!" Vin yelled. "Get 'em inside. Clean him up, wake him. Carol! Stay with 'em will ya? Boy probably has a concussion." Carol nodded, waited for Vin and Tony to get Bull out of the ring and then helped Tony get him inside the clubhouse.

"Kaye, get the first aid kit. It's in the bathroom. And clean up Hap!" Carol gave orders of her own as soon as they laid Tony down on the pool table. "Happy!" Carol snapped in a careful tone when Happy drenched a hand in cheap whiskey.

He smirked at her and did the same to the other hand. "Jesus Hap." Carol abandoned Bull and grabbed gauze from Kaye. "Help Tony." She told the younger girl and started wrapping Hap's knuckles.

He let her, enjoying her smooth hands on his. Carol was his weakness. Mature, attractive, around long enough to be comfortable around the men but still knew her place. He'd pick her over a young new piece of ass any day. He and Frankie usually fought over her.

She finished his hands and dabbed his lip with rubbing alcohol. "You want me to close it?" She asked as she got the bleeding to stop.

"Just tape it hun." She nodded and pinched the split closed, pressing a piece of medical tape to it.

"You want ice?" She asked and Hap smirked again.

"Hands hurt. Can't hold it on." She rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Grab a couch player. I'll ice you down." He watched her walk away before limping over to a free couch and lying down.

She came back quickly with an ice pack and lifted his head up to sit, resting it back down in her lap. She gently held the ice to his eye and stroked his chest absently through his shirt with her other hand.

"Oh yeah, play it up Hap." Frankie remarked as soon as he walked in the clubhouse.

Vin chuckled and walked over to Bull. "He was awake for a second." Tony informed him.

Vin nodded and lifted Bull's shirt to check on the bruises. "Keep trying to wake him. Ask him shit. Ice those." He pointed to the bruises on his ribs and Kaye nodded her head. Vin's phone rang and he stepped away to answer it.

Lenard scanned the clubhouse and shook his head. Hap beating the shit out of Bull was step one in the plan to get rid of him. He hoped this shit worked out right.

Vin hung up the phone and blew out a breath. He eyed Hap on the couch before discreetly trying to slip through the bar.

"What's up?" Frankie tore his eyes off Carol and Hap and turned to Vin.

Vin cringed. "Gotta go do something." He brushed Frankie off and exited the clubhouse.

Frankie watched him go and turned to Lenard. "Guys are dropping like flies tonight."

"Yeah they are." Lenard looked around as well. Harry had split after church, he'd been doing that a lot lately. Casper had gone home, not a big surprise. Shark was gone, that was unexpected considering there was no way he was at Casper's. Tom Tom was gone which was unusual, he had nowhere to go. And now Vin. Plus Bull and Happy laid up and useless.

"Shit Frankie, just you and me tonight."

"Not even any free girls." Frankie mumbled and grabbed a bottle of tequila.

* * *

Vin rode to the park and scanned the area for Gabby. Shark had been vague on the phone. Gabby walked out, literally walked out, on Casper. She was upset, didn't have her phone. She was spotted miles from home.

Casper hadn't called. Shark had called. And he hadn't called Happy, he'd called Vin. Vin didn't understand it, but whatever was going on, it was bad.

He didn't expect to see Gabby at the park, but he needed somewhere to start. He looked around at the side streets. One led to Gabby's house and eventually the clubhouse; one led right back into the park; one went in the general direction of Vivica's house; the last led into the boarder of Sons territory, the worst area of town.

Shark had told him Gabby had been at the park. Vin didn't know how he knew that, but he had seemed rather certain of it. If Gabby was ready to come home she would have headed in the direction Vin had come from, and he hadn't spotted her. He took a gamble on either Vivica's or the bad part of town and headed to the boarder. It was where Gabby would go if she didn't want Sons to spot her.

* * *

"You want to go sweetie?" Becky asked her daughter, wiping her hair off her forehead. Suzie shook her head and jumped off the bottom of the slide to climb back up the ladder.

Becky walked back over to Tom Tom and stood next to him. "We should go soon. If she gets overtired she'll throw a tantrum."

He stood silently next to her, any comment he made would make it sound like he couldn't handle Suzie. Becky let a smile slip out at Tom Tom's silence. Maybe she should let him witness one of her tantrums early on; make sure he wouldn't scare too easy.

* * *

Vin rode slow and kept his eyes peeled. He had no idea what Gabby was wearing, which would have helped. That thought made him pull over and dig out his phone. He either needed more insight on the day's events or more men looking for Gabby.

He started scrolling for Shark's number and froze. He felt eyes on him. He'd traveled right to the boarder of established Sons territory. He could practically smell the drugs being dealt around him. He put down the phone and looked around carefully.

To his left, across the street, fuck. Gabby was staring straight at him, sitting on the ground leaning against the side of a convenience store.

He shook his head in disbelief and revved his bike. He drove straight across the street, ignored the squeal of brakes to his right, jumped the curb and parked right in front of Gabby. She didn't move a muscle, just sat there and continued to stare at him.

He leaned against the wall and slid down till he hit the ground next to her. She looked like crap; exhausted, bags under her eyes that had gotten darker since this afternoon. She was sweaty and her face was a touch sunburned. He didn't know what had sent her out of the house, and he hadn't technically been asked to bring her home. Shark had specifically asked him to 'find her'.

"Hundred more feet and you'd be out of Sons territory." He nodded his head to the intersection beyond them. "But then again you knew that, it's why you stopped."

"Ain't stupid." She finally acknowledged him.

"No, you're not. Now even when you're pissed. Something you didn't get from your father." She stayed quiet, didn't flinch or cringe, so he went on. "Tig gets angry, he acts. He usually acts wrong. You get pissed, you yell, and you remove yourself from the situation. Avoidance is sometimes better than blind action.

Gabby leaned her head back against the building and closed her eyes.

"I remember the first time I met you. Hap laid down his bike. You came to see him in the hospital, you two had some kind of fight, you left town."

Gabby remained quiet, but she remembered too. Happy had admitted he knew who Gabby's father was, and wouldn't tell her. She'd spent her teenage years trying to convince herself that her father wasn't a Son. The Sons were all about family. If she belonged to one of them she wouldn't have been left to live in the squalor Emily barely provided.

"Hap was worried. Lenard and I offered to go looking for you, but Hap said no. He knew you could take care of yourself. He was worried about how upset you were, not about your safety."

"Yeah, he certainly never worried about my safety."

"He did when your life was in danger. When Opie died." Gabby stayed quiet. Vin sighed heavily. "Happy…"

"Happy didn't have to do anything for me. Anything and everything he did was above and beyond my wildest dreams. It's not fair to say he did anything wrong." Gabby quickly cut Vin off.

"You're all about being fair, ain't you?" Vin blew out a breath. "Hap did his best, Emily was a sick addict, Tig didn't know what was going on. Everyone needs someone to blame every once in a while Gabby. It's human nature."

Gabby didn't respond.

"If I go inside and get you water will you be here when I get out?" He asked after a few minutes of silence.

She nodded her head and he climbed back up the wall and went inside. He shot off a quick text to Shark that he found her but she wasn't ready to come home yet. He bought two bottles of water and bottle of Gatorade and quickly made his way around the building again to Gabby.

He let out an audible sigh of relief that she was still there and sat back down next to her and handed her the Gatorade. She downed half the bottle immediately, as he expected. She lowered the bottle and set her eyes on something down the street, staring intently.

Vin looked, saw a girl buying drugs, nothing unusual in this part of town. "Gabby?" He finally asked.

She didn't look at him but nodded to where she was looking. "You see that girl?"

"The one scoring?" He asked, squinting his eyes to get a better look at her.

She nodded. "She turned a trick in that ally before you got here to pay for that load." She finished off her Gatorade and he took the bottle, replacing it with water as she continued to talk.

"About ten years ago, that girl sat in my office sobbing. Her father couldn't pay his dealer. Used her, the dealer raped her."

"I remember that. You told us. We castrated the dealer, left him for dead."

"And now she's out here; sucking dicks to pay for her next high."

"Guess so." Vin answered, not sure were Gabby's train of thought was headed.

"It's so frustrating. Seeing the kids I try to help become the next generation of addicts. Everyone wants to get rid of the drug dealers. But if there were no addicts there would be no need for dealers."

"True, but easier said than done." Vin waited a few minutes for Gabby to speak again, he could tell she was deciding whether or not to divulge something.

"I spend a lot of time trying to figure out why I didn't turn out like my mother. If I could figure out why I didn't follow in her footsteps I could help the kids I see not turn into their parents."

"Gabby…I'm all for philosophy, but you aren't out here because you had a bad day at work."

"I keep trying to figure out why I didn't end up like my mother. But I was missing this whole big piece of the puzzle. What turned my mother into a drug addict?"

Gabby tore her eyes off the girl on the street and opened her water, gulping down nearly half as she had before.

"Tig filled that piece in last night. Emily didn't use when she first found the Sons. She didn't use while she was pregnant with me. She started using after I came along. I turned my mother into a drug addict."

* * *

Shark felt his phone buzz and let out a huge sigh of relief. Vin wouldn't text unless he was with Gabby. But the state in which he may have found her made his chest tighten. He set Mathew down and slipped out his phone.

"Uncle Shark!" Mathew cried to be picked back up and lifted back into the spray of water.

"Shit." He muttered when he read the text. Gabby not wanting to come home was not good. Shark lifted Mathew back up and kissed his head.

"Uncle Shark." Mathew repeated and pointed to the swing set. "Slide slide." He yelled and bounced on Shark's hip.

Shark carried him over to the slide. The water was no longer flowing down it but the pool at the bottom was full of sun warmed water.

He set Mathew down at the top and watched him slide down on his own. He landed in the pool and dissolved into giggles splashing in the water. Kristen ran over from the sprinkler and jumped in the pool, gently splashing her brother to make him laugh more.

Casper came out the back door with beach towels. He glanced over his shoulder in both directions at the gates on his way to Shark. He had taken long enough getting the towels that Shark knew he had spent time in the front yard looking down the street for Gabby to be on her way back.

"Hey." Casper acknowledged him and handed him two of the towels. Shark felt bad. He needed to tell Casper that Vin was with Gabby, but Casper didn't know he had called Vin to go looking for her in the first place.

"Hey…" Shark trailed off.

"I gotta put Mathew to bed. Might take a while, he's pretty wound up."

Shark shrugged. "Take him inside, let him wind down."

"No…no I don't want to keep him up. If he's up past bedtime and she comes home…" He sighed and looked away.

"She's gonna come home Casper. Tonight. I promise."

"Yeah." Casper took a deep breath. "Kristen's got an hour yet. Can you stay out here with her, take her in after half an hour or so to settle down?"

"Bro, you know you don't have to ask."

"Yeah, I know man." Casper gave him a hug and squatted down next to the pool. "Come here little man." Mathew climbed over Kristen to the edge of the pool and Casper plucked him out and wrapped him in a towel.

"Give me a kiss little man." Shark leaned over and pointed at his cheek. Mathew gave him a big wet kiss and Shark kissed him back. Casper held his son tightly in his arms on the trip inside. He needed his kids close by with his wife so far away.

* * *

"You don't believe that Gabby." Vin took her free hand and squeezed it.

"Emily…she left home after high school. Parents never gave a shit. She finds SAMCRO, she finds a family. And then at 19 she's pregnant. She doesn't want the baby but she's forced to keep it. And then because of that baby she loses any and all standing she has in the club. Dropped back down to the lowest rung of the ladder. None of the men will step up as the father. The queen hates her because of the baby…" She trailed off and drank more water. Vin bit his lip. He would not interrupt her.

"The first memory I have, the earliest, youngest memory, is of my mother beating me with a metal spatula. I came into the kitchen while she was shooting up. I was two."

"Jesus." Vin whispered.

"I know I was two, because a few weeks later I turned three and Jax and Opie came over. They taught me how to ride a bike. I kept falling. I still had bruises from the beating; I scraped over a couple of them. Every time I fell Opie would scoop me back up. Look at my scrapes, kiss them. Put me back on the bike. He saw the others. He asked me what they were. And I knew. I KNEW that young, that I couldn't tell him. Not about the beating. Not about the drugs."

"Gabby." Vin whispered and let go of her hand, wrapping his arm around her instead.

"He showed Jax. Jax called Gemma. She came over, made the boys leave. Her and Emily got into it. Gemma left. I got locked in the bathroom for three days. The boys never came back."

"Jesus Christ Gabby."

She was silent and rested more of her weight against Vin. She was already physically exhausted and now emotionally as well.

"I don't know what to say Gabby." Vin cleared his throat and smoothed her hair down. "That…shit, fuck sugar."

"Don't." She mumbled into his chest. "I just needed to say it. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay sugar." He kissed her head and held her tighter.

* * *

Getting Suzie out of the park had been easier than Tom Tom thought it would be. All it took was being told, and one stern look from Becky for Suzie to ever so slowly sulk her way back to the car. Becky hadn't been bothered by her attitude and had gone about buckling her daughter in and climbing into the driver's seat.

Tom Tom eyed Suzie through the window and climbed into the passenger seat. His hand reached over and rested just above Becky's knee. She smiled but otherwise didn't seem affected by it. He smiled back before turning to look out the window; his thumb started to slowly stroke her thigh.

"She's asleep." Becky whispered as she pulled into the apartment complex. Tom Tom glanced over his shoulder and checked on Suzie. Her head was leaning straight back, her mouth was slightly open. The car jerked as Becky put it in park and Suzie's head fell straight forward. Tom Tom was amazed that she stayed asleep.

Both adults climbed out of the car and Tom Tom stepped back as Becky came around to get her daughter. He wasn't really sure what to do. Wasn't sure if he should leave or go back up. He wanted to go back up. He wasn't ready to leave.

Becky seemed to be, purposely or not, ignoring Tom Tom as she opened Suzie's door and leaned into the back seat. Tom Tom got a great view of her ass but looked away when he heard her whisper to Suzie as she tried to keep her upright as she took the seat belt off her. Somehow checking Becky out when she was in 'mom mode' seemed wrong.

In fact, he felt like he was interrupting just by being there. He took a deep breath and made a decision.

"Here," He laid a hand on her back and urged her out of the car. "I'll carry her for you."

Becky seemed to think a moment before stepping aside and letting him in the car door. "Try not to wake her up too much."

Tom Tom nodded and lifted Suzie out of the booster seat and held her closely against his chest as she morphed herself comfortably against him. She laid her head on his shoulder and one arm snaked around his neck. Becky rubbed her back and closed up the car, leading the way back up to her apartment.

* * *

Gabby composed herself quickly but continued to rest against Vin. He held her while they sat in silence, waiting for her to shift or speak.

"Tired sugar?" He finally asked.

Gabby sat up slowly and shrugged. She cracked her back and leaned against the wall once more.

"Anything else you need to get off your chest?" He asked. Perhaps she was afraid he was going to force her to go home if she said she was tired.

"All this is gonna stay between us, right?" Gabby asked, finally looking Vin in the eye.

"Gabby, all I wanna do is help you. Happy asked me personally to look after you when you moved down here. And he never told me to stop. I'm not gonna run off and tell your old man, or anyone else, what you say to me. But I will try to help."

"Casper always says talking about it will help." Gabby confessed and Vin nodded his head, but then she scoffed. "He doesn't just listen though. He wants to talk about it and dissect it all. Anything I tell Happy just crushes him."

"And Shark?" Vin asked, amusement in his voice.

"I know he means well. But…he just goes too fucking far sometimes."

"Shark is desperate for family. His sister wants nothing to do with him since their mom died. He sees you, Casper, the kids, he'd do anything for you guys. Shark just…he's an all in kinda guy. There's no such thing as boundaries when he sets his eyes on fixing whatever he deems broken."

Gabby nodded her head. "This helped. Saying it out loud, getting it out of my head, it helped."

"Glad to be of service." He jostled her and she gave him a small smile. "Alright Gabby, come on." He slowly, and with help from the wall and Gabby, stood up and stretched till he heard a few cracks. "My bones are too old for this sidewalk. We can go wherever you want." He offered her a hand and pulled her up as well.

"Can we just go for a ride?"

"Absolutely."

* * *

Tom Tom kissed Suzie's head as he laid her down in bed. He stepped back and Becky peeled off her shoes. Once again he wasn't exactly sure what to do, so he slowly eased himself out of the bedroom. He thought about making himself comfortable on the couch but didn't want Becky to feel obligated to let him stay if that wasn't what she wanted.

He walked over to the A/C he put in and turned it on. Even by just having it running while she was home the apartment was staying below 90 degrees. He heard Becky's footsteps and slowly turned around.

"You want anything? Water, or I think I might have a beer or two."

"Beer would be great, thanks." He smiled and walked to the kitchen behind her, once again checking out her ass. Her perfectly shaped, just big enough to grab a good handful of, ass. She bent down to grab a beer off the bottom shelf of the fridge and he leaned against the counter and took full advantage of the view.

"Here you go." She popped up and handed it to him with a smile.

"Thanks." He took it and twisted the top off. "Not gonna have one?"

"Nah." She filled a glass with water from the tap. "Thanks for tonight. Suzie had fun."

"Did you?"

"Yeah, I did too." She chuckled and finished her water. She set down the glass and walked closer to him. Tom Tom snagged an arm around her waist and pulled Becky against him.

"I'm glad you had fun. I did too." She laced her thumbs through his belt loops and looked up at him. He bent down a bit and captured her lips. He reached behind him blindly to set his beer down and weaved his newly free hand into her hair, dropping his other from her waist to her ass. She moaned as he squeezed it and pulled her closer still.

She broke away first and he immediately dropped both his hands from her. She stepped back and took a deep breath and he grabbed his beer and took a long gulp.

Tom Tom didn't really know what he was doing. Becky wasn't a sweet butt, or a one night stand. He didn't want to just jump in bed with her. But at the same time he'd known her for over a year, saw her two or three times a week. He knew everything about her that one could possibly learn in the first few weeks of dating before it was socially acceptable to have sex.

"So…" Becky exhaled and looked around the kitchen instead of at Tom Tom.

"So…When do I get to take you two out again?" He drained the last of his beer and set it back down.

Becky smiled. "Gabby mentioned maybe doing a dinner this weekend at the clubhouse. But…you're welcome to stop by here before that. If you want to."

"Okay, I'll give you a call, plan on seeing me before this weekend." He stepped up to her and pulled her close again.

"Will do." She wrapped her arms around him. "Good night Tom Tom."

"Good night Becky."

* * *

Shark came back downstairs from putting Kristen to bed and found Casper pacing, kitchen to front door, peek out the window, back to kitchen. Shark sat down on the last few stairs. Casper made another round to the front door and turned back, heading into the kitchen.

"Grab me a beer while you're in there." Shark called. Casper didn't break his stride but made a trip around the kitchen island and grabbed a beer out of the fridge. He handed it to Shark and walked back to the front door, peaking out the window.

"Casper." Shark tried to get his attention.

"It's dark." He snapped, continuing to pace.

"You're gonna hear her before you see her." Shark offered, draining his beer.

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Casper finally stopped pacing and looked to Shark on the stairs.

Shark sighed. "She's with Vin."

"What? What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Vin sent me a text. He found her. She wasn't ready to come home, but you know he ain't gonna leave her out there."

"And why exactly would Vin tell YOU that he found MY wife?" Casper hissed in anger.

Shark took a patient breath. "Because I called him and asked him to go looking for her."

"You what? After you talked me into waiting here for her?"

"Look. She won't talk to you. She won't talk to me. She won't talk to Happy. She walked away from Becky and Tom Tom at the park. She didn't go to Vivica. Doesn't leave a whole lot of options, and out of everyone that's left, she'd turn to Vin."

"Yeah." Casper fell against the wall and exhaled slowly. "She would." He scrubbed his hands over his face. "Why didn't you tell me?" He was suddenly angry again. "How long have you known she was safe with Vin?"

"Umm…I mean, not that long…" Shark saw the flaw in finally telling Casper. If he hadn't waited too long before he had definitely waited too long now. "Do I hear Mathew crying?" Shark stood up and looked up the stairs.

"Fucking hell Shark!" Casper hissed. "I'm fucking dying over here and you knew she was safe. What the hell is wrong with you?"

"I don't know man. I just wanted to make sure she was okay." Shark ran a hand down his face and went down the stairs. He walked past Casper, within striking distance, to the kitchen and grabbed another beer.

"Why'd you call me here in the first place man?" He turned around and asked Casper. "Why did you call me and not Happy?" He took a long pull of his beer and waited for an answer.

"I called you to watch the kids while I looked for her. Happy would have ridden out with the first hint that Gabby was gone."

"Bullshit. Why didn't you call Becky? Or the prospect? Or your sitter? Trish wouldn't have dared asked questions. She would have watched the kids and you could have done whatever you wanted too."

He drained the rest of his beer and scooped his shirt and cut off the table. "You called me because you know I would do anything to keep Gabby safe, whether you, or she, is happy about it."

Before Casper could form a reply they both heard a bike pull into the driveway. Casper dashed out the garage door and out into the driveway. Shark followed after him, pulling his shirt on. He got out in time to see Gabby climb off the back of Vin's bike and Casper engulf her in a tight hug.

Casper lifted Gabby's shirt and pulled his gun out of the back of her shorts. He reached behind him blindly and handed it to Vin. The older man stared at it a second in surprise before grabbing it and checking the safety. Vin walked over to Shark to give the young couple privacy and set the gun on the back of Casper's car.

"She good?" Shark asked, shrugging on his cut.

"She needs you boys to lay off her." He waited a beat, watching the two before turning to Shark. "Did you know she had that on her?"

Shark eyed the gun and his throat tightened again with the thought of Gabby's suicide attempt. "Fresno ain't the safest town." He managed and cleared his throat. "We should go. They have things to work out."

* * *

_Thanks for reading :)_

_Be kind, Rewind. eeerrr, that's not really applicable here (or at all anymore, really.)_

_Be kind, Review. (doesn't rhyme. Oh well.)_


	19. Chapter 19

_Of course, as you are expecting, a big thank you to the freak circle and my beta EmeralJewelSparkle._

_Cross your fingers that there will be an update next week. I've been super busy and these last few chapters have been much harder to write. I'm gonna try to keep updating every Wednesday, but I might end up skipping a week to catch myself up. I'll let you know on twitter if i post or plan not to post next Wednesday Kiara8921_

_Thanks for reading, enjoy :)_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Tom Tom walked back into the clubhouse and was surprised by the silence. Happy was on the couch with Carol, she looked to be giving him a rather thorough massage. Frankie was passed out in a corner, and Lenard was hunched over the bar, sipping whiskey and watching muted sports highlights.

"Hey." Lenard called and kicked out the stool next to him. Tom Tom took the invite and sat next to his president. "What you been up to?" Lenard asked as he poured Tom Tom a drink.

"I ah…I had a date."

"A date?" Lenard asked suspiciously but smiled after a moment and turned to face the younger man. "Becky?"

"Yeah."

"You serious about that?" Lenard asked. Tom Tom rolled his eyes. He'd been afraid of this. He didn't want the whole fucking club involving themselves in his relationship.

"Yeah Pres, I'm serious."

"Good man." Lenard patted him on the back. "Need to talk to you about something else. It's gonna sound like I'm meddling, but I'm not."

Tom Tom nodded. "Speak your mind."

"I need you to move out of the clubhouse for a while." He held a hand up to stop Tom Tom from interrupting. "Not permanently. And I'm not trying to force you and Becky to shack up. Just look around for a place. Keep it quiet. Let me know when you're ready to leave."

Tom Tom drank his whiskey and thought about what Lenard was saying. "You wanna kick Bull out of the clubhouse." He chuckled and turned back to Lenard. "You're gonna kick him out, no warning. Fuck him over."

"I'm gonna make him a little less comfortable. I just don't want to screw you over in the process."

"Alright, I'm in. Been thinking it's past time to get my own place anyhow." He threw back the last of his whiskey and got up. "Shouldn't take me long, anything's gonna look good next to a dorm."

"Take your time. Maybe look for a bigger place, room for a family." Tom Tom scowled and Lenard laughed. "What can I say? I have confidence you won't screw this thing up."

* * *

Casper engulfed Gabby in his arms the second he got within reach of her. His left hand tangled itself in her hair, his right went immediately for the gun tucked in the back of her shorts. He pulled it out and handed it to Vin. As soon as the cold metal was out of his hand he wrapped it back around his wife.

"Fuck Gabby." He whispered into her hair. "Jesus love I was so fucking worried."

Gabby didn't respond. She refused to say she was sorry for leaving.

"Please don't ever leave again. Please Gabby." He pulled her face off his chest and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "I don't care what you have to do. You yell, scream, throw shit, fucking hit me if you need to. But please please don't ever leave like that again."

He didn't give her a chance to respond, just pulled her back against his chest and held her. Gabby wrapped her arms around him finally and held on just as tightly as he was. She was relieved to know that he wasn't furious at her. He continued to whisper into her hair, how much he loved her, how worried he had been, mild curses followed by terms of endearment.

She pulled away and Casper panicked momentarily till he heard the footsteps of his brothers approaching.

Vin nodded at them both and Gabby stepped up to him and kissed his cheek. "You call me if you need me sugar." He assured her and kissed her back. He mounted his bike and backed it up and turned it before revving it and riding to the end of the driveway, and waited.

Shark eyed him and shook his head. Vin was not so subtly waiting for Shark, making sure he left the couple alone as well. Shark wanted to apologize, hug Gabby, and assure her he was there for her. His throat closed up again as the woman before him morphed into a teenage Gabby gasping for air. He cleared his throat and mounted his bike.

"Night love birds." He gave them a smile and strapped on his helmet.

"Night Shark." Gabby gave him a small smile as she said it and he knew he was forgiven. He smiled and revved his bike, giving them both a nod as he rode away.

Casper guided Gabby into the garage. "Gabby…" He trailed off and exhaled. There was so much he wanted to say, but he was deathly afraid of making the situation worse. He held onto her hand and looked at her.

"Don't. I don't want to fight anymore. I'm tired. I just want to shower and go to bed." She pulled her hands out of his and started to make her way inside.

Casper watched her walk away from him. He was suddenly angry. At her, at the situation, at everyone seemingly knowing what his wife needed except for himself.

"Gabby." He said her name more forcefully and cut her off at the door. He buzzed the garage closed and grabbed her hips. "I don't want to fight, but we need to talk about this."

"I'm done talking Casper, I'm talked out."

"No. No you're not done talking because you haven't said shit to me. I'm your husband Gabby, your old man. You're mine. You have a problem you come to me. You don't walk out. You don't turn to another man. Fuck that."

"I'm yours? Fuck you! I don't belong to anybody. All I wanted was to be left alone. You sent Vin after me." Gabby hissed.

"Bullshit. You said you talked."

"I talked, yeah. And you know what Vin did? He fucking listened to me. He didn't ask questions, or try to discuss how it made me feel, or offer solutions, or try to fix anything. He just fucking listened to me." She ripped herself away from him and stepped back till she hit her SUV.

"That's all I ever fucking wanted. You want me to get shit off my chest, I'm fine with that. But there is nothing I can tell you that you can fix or make up for. It's all in the past.

"I'm done Casper. I'm done with all this shit. I'm not talking about Emily Duncan anymore. And if you can't get on board with that I'm done with you too."

Casper's heart stopped at those words. He couldn't think, he couldn't move. Gabby brushed by him into the house and slammed the door closed. He sat down on the stairs and laid his face in his hands.

She didn't mean it. She couldn't mean it. Gabby had never threatened to leave him before. Not when they argued about putting the house in just her name, not the first time he got arrested while they were dating. Never. Leaving wasn't a bargaining chip she used.

He got up and walked to his car. He grabbed the gun off the trunk lid and checked the magazine before putting it back in his saddle bag. He sat on his bike and took a few deep breaths. She wouldn't leave. He wouldn't let her leave. All she wanted was to not talk about her mother. He wasn't gonna lose his wife over that dead whore.

* * *

Gabby peaked in on the kids before hopping into the shower. She scrubbed herself down completely, washed her hair, shaved, scrubbed her feet, exfoliated her face. When she ran out of body parts to clean she simply sat on the floor of the shower and let the water pound on her.

She didn't leave the shower till the water turned ice cold. She climbed out and patted herself dry, she rubbed lotion into her skin and towel dried her hair. When she was done she leaned on the counter and simply starred at herself in the mirror. She looked as exhausted as she felt. It was time to leave the safety of the bathroom, she was regretting her decision to not be juvenile and lock the bedroom door.

She took a deep breath, hung up her towel, and stepped into the bedroom naked. Casper was sitting on the edge of the bed, fully dressed. He watched her walk out and around him to her side of the bed.

She sat on the edge, her back facing his. She picked up her phone from the nightstand and scrolled through the missed calls. She dialed her voicemail and listened to Shark's message.

"Found it in the kids' bathroom." Casper spoke as she deleted the message and checked that her alarm was set for work. She set the phone back down and lay on her side on the bed, still facing away from Casper.

She listened to him sigh and get back up. He stormed into the bathroom, slammed the door, and stripped. He started the shower, felt the water temperature and turned the water all the way to hot. He stood under the still luke warm water for a few moments till it went back to ice cold. He turned the water back off and dried off.

He came back out and looked at his wife's form. He was still angry, but he felt lucky that after everything that had happened tonight she had still chosen to sleep in their bed. He sighed again and climbed into bed. Gabby didn't move, but he could tell by her breathing she was still awake. He shifted closer to her and kissed her shoulder. She didn't flinch away so he shifted closer, ran a hand lightly down her side and pressed another kiss to her shoulder.

He ran a hand back up her side and down her arm. He linked his fingers with hers and pressed his lips to her temple. "What do you think about getting the kids a pool? One of those cheap ones, above ground, that we put together ourselves." It was an olive branch, changing the subject. He didn't know what he was gonna do, but right now he just wanted to prove to his wife that he heard what she said, that he had listened to her, and that he could drop the subject of Emily.

"It'd take up a lot of room in the yard." Gabby murmured. She knew what Casper was trying to do, move on from the fight, and appreciated it.

"Less grass to cut. It would be great for the summer."

"Need to get Mathew swimming lessons first."

"I'll arrange it." Casper assured her and kissed her cheek this time.

"My feet hurt." Gabby admitted after a few moments of silence.

"I bet they do." He said with a chuckle. He threw the sheet off them both and kissed his way down her body, kneeling at her feet as she turned onto her back. He gave her an appreciative smile as he scanned her body and started rubbing her feet.

He worked her arches and her heels, watching some of the tension drain from her face. He worked up to her ankles, then her calves; her smooth lotioned skin allowing his fingers to slide over her. She readjusted herself, lying flat and bending her knees. He scooted closer and massaged her thighs, leaning down to kiss the inside of a leg, starting at her knee.

His hands continued to massage ahead of his lips. As he reached her core he slipped his hands to her ass, splaying his fingers across her cheeks, and lifted her entire pelvis, opening her hips, displaying her in front of his face. He didn't taste yet, he switched his lips to her other thigh, nipping and suckling the tender flesh while she squirmed.

By the time he dipped his tongue into her sex she was soaked. He worked his tongue along her clit slowly, waiting for her to thrust her hips at him before applying any real pressure. He teased her till her legs quivered and finally sucked on her clit, grazing it with his teeth, sending her over the edge.

He pinched her thighs with his thumbs, preventing her from clamping his head between her legs. He continued to lavish attention along her slit as she came back down.

She laid her head down flat and took a few deep breaths. Casper let go of her legs and kissed his way up her body. He nipped her hip bones, swirled his tongue around her navel. He licked and sucked and kissed her stomach covering every inch of her pale flesh before moving up to her tits.

He used the flat of his tongue on the bottom of her left breast. He worked his way to the expanse between the two and then grabbed her right nipple between his teeth, changing her near constant whimpering to a yelp. He sucked hard, one hand pinching her other nipple, the other hand snaking back between them.

She was still soaked, thrusting against him, both knees bent, one leg riding up over his ass. Both her hands were weaved through his short hair, seemingly pulling him closer and pushing him away at the same time.

He plunged two fingers inside of her, pumping her, his thumb pressing on her clit. He sucked more of her breast into his mouth and pressed down lightly with his teeth. He stopped pumping his fingers and curled them instead, brushing against her g-spot, his thumb ever present on her clit.

"Fuck. Fuck fuck fuck baby." She whispered over and over again as she climbed back up to another orgasm. "Please. Please please." She tore his mouth off her breast and dragged his head up to hers to kiss him but he nipped her ear instead.

"You want me Gabby?" He whispered, punctuating the question by curling his fingers inside of her once more. He dipped his tongue in her ear before dragging it down to her jaw line.

She gasped and he brought his lips to hers. "Tell me you want me." He whispered against her lips.

"I want you." She got out on another gasp as he curled his fingers once more inside of her. She wrapped her other leg around him and bit his lip hard enough to make him flinch.

"I need you inside of me." She said as she let go of his lip. He groaned and kissed her, pulling his fingers out of her and slipping his swelled cock in instead.

He started thrusting immediately, his hands snaking underneath her. She clung to him, digging her nails into his back. She took everything he gave her, letting him get out all of his hurt and anger and fear. She knew he wouldn't go too deep, wouldn't hurt her, or at least wouldn't hurt her more than she wanted to be hurt by him.

Her orgasm built quickly and Casper swallowed her swears as she fell over the edge, plunging his tongue in her mouth, never pausing in his thrusts. He waited till she calmed down and then lifted her up, kneeling with her wrapped around him and grabbed her ass. He lifted her and pounded her back down, faster and harder than she ever could ride him.

She tipped her head back and his mouth found her collar bone. He pressed his lips against it, choosing not to mark her. His breathing got heavier and he thrusted erratically into her till he came with a loud groan.

"Baby." She met his eyes as he stopped twitching inside of her. He looked her in the eye for just a moment and then attacked her mouth, kissing her almost desperately. He gently laid her back down on the bed and stretched over her, cupping her face in his hands and keeping his lips glued to hers.

* * *

Casper woke up before the alarm went off and watched his wife sleep. It was easily his favorite past time. But this morning all he could imagine was what would have happened if she hadn't come home last night.

What would he have done? How long would he have waited? Would he have asked his brothers to hunt her down, or made the rounds to places she might have spent the night? He had no idea where she had gone, what she had done.

Why had she taken the gun? What had been her plan? Did she have a plan when she left? Why had she taken his fucking gun?

They hadn't talked about any of that. She wouldn't talk about it, and now he was afraid to ask.

He knew one thing from the hours she had been gone; he couldn't live without her. He'd rather have her here with him, suffering in silence , than try to help her and risk losing her.

What did that say about him? Was he being selfish, putting his needs before her own? But he was doing what she wanted, what she asked of him. All he wanted was to see her happy. But doing this now, dropping the subject of Emily wasn't making her happy; it was just taking some of the pain away.

In truth though, he didn't know how to make her happy, didn't know how to help. So making things less painful was the best he could do. The whole situation made him feel like a selfish prick.

Gabby's alarm went off and she reached over and pressed snooze. She dropped her head back to her pillow and groaned. Casper propped himself up on an elbow and kissed her gently. He was half hard, always ready for morning sex with his wife, but he knew she would be sore from the night before. He had been rough with her on their first run, and though he had been loving and gentle the second time he could tell she hadn't enjoyed it as much as she usually did.

"I'll take care of the kids. Get some more sleep." He assured her. She looked back at him lazily, still half asleep, and nodded her head. He smiled and kissed her again before climbing out of bed.

He took a quick shower and pulled on clean jeans and a t-shirt. He was completely distracted. He had no idea what to do about his wife, what he needed to do to help her. Part of him still thought it best to just play it safe, let her figure out her own emotions. It was what she wanted, and it had always worked out best in the past when he had stayed out of stuff like this. Talking about it just upset her. But that was why they were here now. Gabby had never talked about it; never dealt with it. And when faced with it, literally face to face with her biggest demon, she had fallen apart. Could he really ignore that?

He started coffee and packed the kids lunches, popping waffles in the toaster when he heard little feet on the stairs. The thought of eating a breakfast himself made him nauseous.

"Daddy!" Mathew came into the kitchen first and launched himself at Casper.

"Good morning little man. You hungry?" Casper picked him up and put him in his chair with a sippy cup of milk.

"Pancakes." Mathew said and grabbed his fork to clank on the table.

"No I want French toast!" Kristen came in the kitchen dressed for school in an outfit that looked entirely picked out by a six year old.

"We're having waffles." Casper announced to both the kids, and with that the toaster popped up. He plated the waffles, gave one to each kid followed by butter and syrup and milk for Kristen. He peeled an orange and put it between the kids to share before finally pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Is everything packed in your book bag Kristen?"

She stopped and thought a moment before nodding her head, her mouth full of a large orange slice.

"Alright, dishes in the sink please when you're done." Casper reminded the kids and headed back upstairs, a cup of coffee in each hand.

He set both coffees on the dresser and finished getting dressed as he waited for Gabby to get out of the shower. When the water turned off he let himself into the bathroom. Gabby was slowly drying off, she looked dazed, zombie like.

"You okay love?" He asked, and then bit his lip. He didn't know how far he was supposed to take the whole not talking about 'it' thing.

"Just tired." Gabby assured him and hung up her towel. Casper grinned at her naked body and stepped towards her.

"Take the day off." He suggested and kissed her forehead.

She pulled away but stayed close to him, turning to the mirror and pressing her ass against him. He wrapped his arms around her and looked at her reflection in the mirror, his beautiful wife.

"I can't. I'm mediating. That boy who gave up the kitchen is meeting with his mom today." Even as she spoke her eyes were at half-mast. Casper pulled her tighter against him and kissed the top of her head.

She let her head fall against him and looked up at him. "I need a break." She admitted and Casper nodded his head.

"I'll call Trish tonight for the kids. We can go to the clubhouse, play some pool, drink. Get some adult time."

"No…" She pulled away slightly and grabbed her hair brush. "I need a break from all of it. From the club…just everything, from the guys and the questions and the drama."

"Okay." Casper kneaded her lower back with his hands as she pulled away again to brush her hair. "Kristen will be out of school in two weeks. We can take the kids and get out of town. Go to Disney, or San Diego, make the rounds to Sea World and the zoo. Or we could ditch the kids on your dad and Shark and go somewhere on our own." He kissed her bare shoulder and waggled his eyebrows at her in the mirror.

"That would be nice." Gabby smiled at him.

"Which?"

"Just the two of us somewhere. I got lots of vacation time. You think you could get away?"

"Absolutely. You wanna go on a trip, consider it done." He kissed her neck and rested both his hands on her stomach, splaying his fingers out. "Time it right, maybe work on our little side project." Bringing up trying for a baby so soon after their fight was dangerous, but it was a good way to make sure they were okay again. To make sure that Gabby being sick of everything didn't mean sick of him, sick of the kids, the family, everything.

Gabby dropped her brush and laid her hands on top of his. Casper continued to kiss her neck but kept his eyes locked on hers in the mirror. She smiled finally and he felt like a huge weight was lifted off his chest.

* * *

Casper walked into the clubhouse and Shark walked directly up to him and gave him a hug.

"Everything okay?" He asked as let go.

"Yeah brother." Casper nodded and patted Shark on the shoulder.

Shark nodded. "Grab some gear. We roll out in 10."

Casper looked around at the men getting ready. "No Harry?"

"No Harry." Shark shook his head.

"What the fuck happened to Bull?" Casper asked, spotting the man nearly bent over, holding his side.

"Happy happened."

"Fuck. And no Tony?"

"Tony's at the sight, Vin wanted to make sure the innocents left. Bull's coming, got no choice, Nomads couldn't break free of Vegas to back us up."

Casper nodded his head. Fresno took out a lot of kitchens. They asked for help when they didn't have much intel. They may not have names for this group, but they did have some information. It was only three men. Even without Harry Fresno would be nine strong. He liked three to one odds.

Happy trained his eyes on Vin who was intently watching Casper and Shark. Nothing appeared to be wrong between them which made Happy think Vin knew something about the two that Hap wasn't aware of.

"You good Hap?" Lenard asked, walking up to him and patting his shoulder. Lenard had gone over the rules with his officers. He didn't want to go in planning to kill, but he wasn't opposed to it. If they needed to kill, they would kill. They had to assure Fresno knew the club was still strong.

"I'm ready." Hap nodded.

"Alright!" Lenard yelled and got the attention of the men. "Tony is at the house, he gave us the all clear. This is residential, don't shoot first. Aim carefully; silencers on. Bull, Tom Tom, Shark, and Casper in the van. Park in front, block the drive. Take the front door, get in friendly if you can, or take the door on my signal. Rest of us on the bikes, down the alley, take the side door. There should only be three guys in there. Communicate, get them all. We want to talk, not kill. We need these men to spread the word. Fresno ain't a free for all. Sons are whole."

The men cheered and Happy waited for Lenard to nod before whistling loudly above the noise.

"Roll Out!"

* * *

Shark and Casper took up positions at the front door. Tom Tom was one step behind them, phone to ear, synching with the crew coming from the alley. Bull stayed halfway between the front door and the van, ready, in theory, to catch anyone who made a run for it, but in reality he was practically useless in his horribly beaten state.

Tom Tom gave the signal and Casper knocked on the front door. The idea was to draw the men to the front, hopefully go in easy, or appear to by anyone on the street, while the other group took the back door. It stopped anyone from running, caught any half-baked cookers by surprise by doubling their numbers once they got inside either door. They'd taken down a dozen kitchens this way.

No one came to the door but the men heard shuffling inside. Casper eyed Tom Tom, waited for him to nod, and then took a step back and kicked in the door.

The rest was chaos. The men inside started yelling in a mixture of Spanish and English. Shark and Casper ran to the kitchen, guns drawn as they heard Lenard and Vin shouting for guns to be put down. But who were they telling to put the guns down? SAMFRES or the guys in the house?

Shark peaked around the corner, using hand signals to stop Tom Tom and Casper from following him. One man had a gun to Frankie's temple, another was waving a gun at the remaining men, panic clear in his eyes.

Shark caught Happy's eye and gave him a nod. In an instant Happy grabbed Frankie's cut and pulled him down to the floor as the man holding him hostage fired. Shark shot him in the chest and the other man spun around and started firing, Casper pulled Shark out of the line of fire and took a few shots, both he and the gunmen fell at the same time.

Happy pounced on the gunman, Casper had managed to hit him in the shoulder on his own way down. Shark leapt onto Casper, checking for a pulse.

* * *

Bull ran inside at the sound of gunfire. He stepped in the door and was immediately face to face with the third man, running down the stairs to flea while there was seemingly no one guarding the front door. The man reacted first, pulling out his gun and firing at Bull as he ducked for cover.

Tony ran across the street; he collided with the man fleeing out the door. Tony grabbed his shirt, slinging him into the ground and fell as well. By the time he got back up the man was scurrying to a car parked on the street. Tony took two shots, shattering the rear windshield but didn't hit the man.

Tony hurried inside and collected Bull off the floor, he was clutching a bleeding wound to his upper left arm. Tony looked around and followed the noise, pulling Bull behind him into the kitchen.

"Jesus." Bull said looking around, still clutching his arm. One man lay dead on the floor, Happy was tying up another that looked to be bleeding heavily. Frankie was firmly clutching a towel to his head, the white rag quickly turning red.

"Fuck. Is he?" Tony pointed to Casper still lying prone on the floor.

"He's FINE." Shark snapped as he tore open Casper's shirt.

"Shit. Pres. That's one of 'em. Fuck, they both are." Tony looked at the men they had been here to talk to.

Happy looked at Tony and ripped open the bound man's shirt. Diablos was scrolled out large in red ink across the man's chest. Large, rougher D-27 covered it in black.

"Jesus. Jesus! I told you! I fucking told you we should have sat on the fucking house!" Bull started to rant.

"Shut the fuck up!" Lenard yelled back and pulled his gun again, pointing it at Bull. "I don't want to hear another fucking word come out of your mouth. Go wait in the fucking van."

Bull stared at the gun a moment before storming out of the kitchen back to the front door.

"Get those two in the van. Frankie?" Lenard looked at his secretary. "Fuck Frankie, you in the van too, Shark take Frankie's bike back."

Happy picked the bound D-27 member up and threw him at Vin. He shoved Shark aside and grabbed Casper's cut, pulling his torso off the ground. Tom Tom bent down and supported Casper in his new position and Happy ripped open his bullet proof vest, checking it did its job.

It had, there was no blood, but a nasty bruise was already forming over his sons in laws chest, the shot would have killed him. The impact had most definitely still broken his sternum. He slapped Casper hard across the face and the man came to with a coughing fit, clutching at his chest.

"You good?" Lenard asked him as Tom Tom and Happy helped him up.

Casper nodded, still coughing, and gave Lenard a thumbs up.

"Tony stay here and clean up the blood. Get out before any cops show up." Lenard gave more instruction and Shark grabbed a box of garbage bag off the counter, clearing the thankfully not running, make shift meth lab into bags and handing them to Tom Tom.

Lenard stood and watched as his men started to follow his orders. Casper took the bags from Tom Tom and headed to the van. Tom Tom and Shark grabbed the dead body and dragged him out. Happy and Vin manhandled the wounded man out the door as well, following the body to the van.

"Pres?" Frankie asked.

"Get everybody back to the clubhouse. Lockdown. It's their move now. No one else I love is going off the side of a cliff."

* * *

_FYI: I very nearly ended this chapter with Casper still unconscious, and no mention of a bullet proof vest. (Note I never told you he put one on either). But I decided not to be that mean. So you know...if you want to click in that review box and thank me for not giving you all panic attacks, that would be great ;)_

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_I got a great anonymous review from 'Sandra' for chapter 18 and I wanted to answer it so I shall do it here: Gabby is pissing me off too! She really is pushing her boundaries and Casper has every right to be pissed. Gabby is lost right now, well and truly lost, she can't take much more being thrown at her right now, and Casper knows this. He doesn't know how to help her. He is angry, but he is afraid of losing her or making things worse by expressing too much anger at the situation._


	20. Chapter 20

_Special thanks to the freak circle and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle both of which kept me at least half sane while writing this and trying to redeem Gabby in all of your eyes._

_There will Not be an update next week. Updates will continue the week after and continue uninterrupted until I finish the story. Thanks for your patients. _

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Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

The bikes pulled out and surrounded the van on the way back to the clubhouse. As soon as everyone was inside the lot Lenard cut his engine and locked the front gate. He left the bike where it was and jogged over to the rest of the men.

The men were already opening the van and helping the wounded out. "Listen up!" Lenard yelled to get their attention. "We're going on lockdown. I want Vivica, Gabby, Becky and the kids escorted here. And call in the rest of the girls, and the hang arounds. Hap, you and Vin handle the shit in the van. Do it quickly, get what you can and finish it. Someone get Harry here. No one rides alone."

Lenard put an arm around Frankie and helped him inside. Casper grabbed Bull's uninjured arm and did the same. Vin went around to drive the van and Happy took the place of Tom Tom in the back with the prisoner.

"Wait." Casper jogged back, grabbing his chest with a wince as he did so. "The one you killed is Tiago. The other one is Sling. He's the cook."

"You got him to talk?" Hap asked in surprise.

"No, recognized him from research the last time. He's got a brother, Luce, unaccounted for, that was with them last time."

Happy nodded his head impressed, that information would be very helpful.

"If there cooking they're probably selling. There's probably more than just the one that got away." Casper added.

Happy turned to the bound and gagged man in the van who was staring at his dead friend. "I'll get what we need from him."

Happy got in the van and Casper slammed the door shut. He followed them and unlocked and locked the gate once more before heading back into the clubhouse.

Fresno had no doctor, Shark had field medical training but didn't know much more than how to stop the bleeding and wait for an actual medic. None the less he was already digging the bullet out of Bull's arm.

Tom Tom was on the phone carefully explaining to Harry the situation without actually disclosing anything. Casper walked past him to Frankie; Carol was closing up the gash on his head.

"Where's Lenard?" Casper asked the group of brothers.

"Chapel." Shark muttered and triumphantly pulled the bullet out of Bull's arm and dropped it on the table.

"I'm gonna grab Tom Tom and start collecting the women. When the prospect gets back take him and get supplies. Call Viv, ask her to make you a list and tell her we're on the way." Casper surprisingly took charge.

"You gonna call Gabby?" Shark asked, stepping away from Bull, ignoring the fact that the man was still clutching gauze to his bleeding arm.

"No, I need to tell her this in person."

* * *

Vivica was the easiest of the old ladies. By the time Casper and Tom Tom got to her place she was waiting in the garage, SUV packed with supplies as well as her overnight bag. Food, toiletries, and everything remotely close to a first aid supply she had in her home was neatly bagged in the trunk.

"Are we picking up the rest?" She asked Casper instead of saying hello, as Casper walked towards her.

"Taking you to the clubhouse first Viv, making separate trips." Casper gave her a reassuring smile and walked back to his bike parked next to Tom Tom who was on the phone with Becky.

Separate trips for each of the women was maybe a bit of an overreaction, but it still served a dual purpose. Bringing them in one at a time made them a smaller target, also hopefully made them look a little less obvious than a train of cars and bikes going through town.

It also meant he could pick up Gabby last. She wasn't gonna be happy about this. A lockdown is the absolute last thing she needed right now. He wanted to draw out telling her as long as possible.

Shark was waiting at the gate and let Vivica's SUV through. He flagged down Casper who hadn't planned on staying.

"Tony's back. Do you need help?"

"We're gonna get Becky and Suzie. We'll be back." Casper brushed over his offer.

Shark got the point. Casper had no idea how to tell Gabby what was going on.

"Lenard called Charming. Tig and Juice are on their way here." Shark mentioned, seemingly off hand, but still a warning.

"Shit…" Casper swore. He wasn't too thrilled with anyone from Charming right now. There was nothing he could do though. They needed help, the Nomads weren't available. Casper could use Juice, but Tig? Fuck. Tig was the last person Gabby needed to see right now.

"I'll talk to him. He'll probably beat you here. They already left."

"Talk to him and tell him what Shark?" Casper snapped but Shark wasn't offended. His friend was stressed to the max, had been even before his near death experience this morning.

"I'll tell him Gabby's sick, alright? She can stay in a dorm, sleep, stay out of the shit going on." Shark paused and looked at Casper dead on. "She doesn't need to know what happened to you this morning."

"It's not just what happened to me Shark. She gave us that house. She's gonna blame herself for all of this and she does NOT need this shit right now."

"HEY!" Tom Tom pulled around. "We need to go, cut the chat, huh?"

Casper sighed once more and Shark nodded them both off. He was gonna make it his own personal fucking mission to not stress Gabby out during this lockdown, even if it killed him.

* * *

Tom Tom and Casper escorted Becky from work to her apartment. She climbed out of her car and Tom Tom got off his bike this time to walk her upstairs.

"Can you please tell me what's going on now?" Becky begged as they made their way up the stairs. Tom Tom didn't say a word. He followed her into the apartment and locked the door behind them.

"Tom Tom." Becky said more forcefully and Tom Tom grabbed her and kissed her deeply. She kissed him back, her hands clutching the soft leather of his cut. His hands roamed over her as he walked her backwards to the nearest wall and pinned her against it.

He would have loved nothing more than to strip her and devour her completely, but he knew now wasn't the right time. Not this soon, not with Casper waiting downstairs. But he still couldn't help but need her right now; he needed the comfort of her. The firefight this morning had his life flashing before his eyes. Seeing Casper go down like that, Jesus. If it hadn't been for the vest the man would be dead. Bull had taken a bullet, Frankie had nearly had his brains blown out.

He pulled back from her finally as the violent images filled his head.

"Tom Tom?" Becky questioned, placing her hand on his chest in concern and confusion.

"Something happened this morning. Everyone's okay, but Lenard wants everyone at the clubhouse for a few days till we fix this shit." He attempted to explain without really explaining anything. Becky wasn't his old lady. She wasn't even really his girlfriend. Even if she was, Tom Tom had never thought about how much he would ever disclose to an old lady if he ever had one. He didn't want to explain everything; he didn't want to scare her. He just needed her safe. So did Lenard, he realized as Becky dropped her hand from his chest. Lenard had been the one to order her brought in with an escort. The rest of the girls were coming of their own accord. Did Lenard consider Becky Tom Tom's old lady already or just higher up on the ladder than the sweet butts?

"Tom Tom, what happened? Are you guys being threatened?"

Tom Tom sighed and brought Becky over to the couch. "How much do you know about what's been going on? What has Gabby told you?"

"Not much. Tom Tom, you said last night that it was okay to be out…now you want us to stay at the clubhouse…"

"We were okay last night." Tom Tom assured her. "Do you know who D-27 is?"

"A new gang, drug dealers. Gabby said they weren't following the club's rules."

"It's bigger than that now. We hurt them. And they may have been the ones to kill Chris. We hurt them again this morning. Lenard doesn't want to give them any opportunities to hurt us again. He wants everyone safe in the clubhouse while we resolve this."

Becky sat in silence for a moment absorbing the information. She didn't think the club killed people. As much as she had been told by Gabby and heard around town the Sons kept the drug trade under control by charging fines, making life difficult for dealers, and when needed, roughing people up. But now Chris was dead, and Lenard was calling everybody to stay in the clubhouse. Stay for days; there's no way all that would be happening in response to the club roughing up the wrong person.

"How many days should I pack for?" She finally asked.

Tom Tom squeezed her hand. "Pack for a week, shouldn't take that long though. I'm gonna clean out your fridge. I'll stock it again when we get out. Grab first aid supplies, just in case."

Becky nodded her head slowly. She got up off the couch and went to the kitchen. "Becky?" Tom Tom followed her, "I'll do this."

"I know." She squatted down and pulled her reusable shopping bags out of a cupboard and stood back up, pressing them into Tom Tom's chest till he took them. "What were you gonna do? Juggle all my food down the stairs?" She teased and walked out of the kitchen to the bedrooms.

Tom Tom smiled, relieved. She was taking this a lot better than he thought she might.

* * *

By the time Becky checked Suzie out of daycare and got to the clubhouse sweet butts and hang arounds were starting to filter in. Becky parked, fished Suzie out of the backseat and picked her up. The lot was too busy to let her four year old walk around on her own. Tom Tom whistled at a group of hang arounds and two of them came over and grabbed all the bags out of the trunk and headed inside with a nod from Tom Tom.

He took a key off his ring and handed it to Becky. "Get settled in my room. It's gonna be hectic inside."

"You're not coming in?" Becky asked.

"We gotta go back out for Gabby."

"Gabby's not here yet? You…you brought me here before Gabby?" Becky asked in utter shock.

"Casper's orders. Go in, get settled, help Viv." Becky nodded and carried Suzie inside the clubhouse.

"Where you want your bags ma'am?" One of the hang arounds was waiting inside for her with their duffle bags, the food already off to the kitchen she supposed.

"Oh, umm, I'll take them." She held out her free arm, the man looked hesitant but he hung them both carefully on her shoulder and walked away.

Becky set her daughter down at the bottom of the stairs and took her hand for the way up. Suzie seemed to be taking everything in stride. She hadn't at all minded being picked up early from daycare and had been over joyed to hear they were going to the clubhouse. Becky had told her there would be a lot of people there and she had to be on her best behavior and not get in anyone's way or ask any questions. Suzie hadn't even asked her mother why, she had just nodded her head.

And now as they reached the top of the stairs Suzie went right to the dorm the toys were in, across the hall from Tom Tom's room, ready to be left to her own devices and wait for Kristen.

Becky was torn on letting her go in. She still had Tom Tom's key in her pocket, but she saw no reason not to use the room she normally did. Well, not normally, she'd never spent the night here before, nor had she spent the night with Tom Tom. And she didn't want the first time they were in bed together to be awkward and sexless, which it certainly would be with Suzie in the room. But she also didn't want to offend Tom Tom. She rolled her eyes at herself. She was over thinking this.

She left Suzie in her normal dorm and dumped their overnight bags out of the way in a corner of Tom Tom's surprisingly clean dorm, and went back downstairs.

She wondered around the organized mess looking for Vivica but came up empty. "Carol?" She called from the doorway to the kitchen. Carol and another younger looking sweet butt were putting away the random assortment of food from Becky's kitchen.

"Can I get you something baby?" Carol asked nicely. Becky smiled back. She was stuck in an odd spot in the club. Not a sweet butt, not an old lady. She appreciated the bit of respect she got from Carol, as the other girls simply ignored her or glared at her, but it also made her feel awkward.

"Do you know where Viv is? Her SUV is out there but I can't find her."

"She's in the office. Headed right there after she dropped off her bags. Do you know if anyone is going out for more supplies?"

"No idea, I'm sure the guys will if we need something." Becky shrugged.

"Ask Viv who to send, we need meat, and more milk for the kids."

"Will do." Becky assured her and headed out to the office. Hopefully Vivica would give her a task. Becky always preferred having a task at the clubhouse versus just hanging around.

Becky knocked on the half open office door, "Viv?" She called before walking in.

Vivica looked up and closed a file folder. "What is it sweetie?"

"Just wondering what needs done. And Carol wants to know who to give a grocery list too."

"Ask Gabby." Vivica brushed her off.

"Gabby's not here yet Viv."

Vivica sighed. She hadn't been through a lockdown in over 20 years. Not since the Mayan's came back to Fresno and found her husband's small club, Sons of Zeus, patched over by Sons of Anarchy and had taken control of the city. Back then there had been no sweet butts, and no kids. Just her, Lenard's second wife, and Egg's old lady. They had each taken a room, and stayed till the chaos had ended.

"Shark is at the store. Text him what you need. There are no other tasks. Old Lady's get beds, everyone else will have to make do, just find something to keep yourself busy. I have phone calls to make."

"Alright, sorry." Becky apologized for interrupting and closed the office door. It struck Becky on the way back to the clubhouse that this was the first time Vivica had been to the clubhouse since Chris's funeral. The dinner at Gabby's two nights ago was the first thing close to a club event Vivica had attended since then as well. Vivica wasn't being rude, she had to be dying with the thought of being locked in here.

Becky walked back through the clubhouse as something else from her conversation with Viv stuck her; only old ladies got beds. Tom Tom had given her his bed. Was that because he considered her his old lady or because he knew she wouldn't get one and he didn't want her just making do?

What does the term old lady even really mean? Becky only knew two old ladies, Gabby and Vivica. They were both married. Becky had always assumed 'old lady' just meant wife; like 'the old ball and chain.' Even the out of town old ladies she had met at Chris's funeral, like Tara, had been married.

"Becky?" Carol asked, interrupting her thoughts and Becky realized she had made her way all the way back to the kitchen.

"Shark is getting supplies. You can text him specifics. Viv said hold tight till Gabby gets here." Becky quickly covered for herself, coming up with something to say. She started to offer help, but bit her lip. The old lady subject, and it's meaning, was still spinning around her head. Would an old lady offer help, or just help, or dictate jobs, was she an old lady? She certainly wasn't a sweet butt. Was she technically in charge of Carol? Did she answer to Carol?

"Thanks for taking care of this Carol."

"No problem, but I mean, I'm just putting supplies away. Got no idea what a lockdown is. Haven't heard that term thrown around here since Gabby's lockdown. But that wasn't all this," she waved her hand around the crowd in the main bar, "just her."

"What do you mean?" Becky asked quietly.

"10 or so years back. Gabby showed up in the middle of the night. Happy left her here. She stayed a week, the guys were protecting her. She wasn't allowed out and no one but patches and a couple trusted girls were allowed in."

"I've never heard about that." Becky thought back to whether or not it had ever been mentioned.

"I don't know much about it either. I was new then. Spent most of my time dodging June. Thank god she left."

"June?"

"Eggs' old lady. Eggs had just been locked up a few months before, she was a bear to deal with. She divorced him pretty soon after that so…no more June."

"Huh…" Becky huffed out and headed up the stairs to check on her daughter. She'd heard the name Eggs thrown around. She knew the guys occasionally visited him in prison, and his mug shot was still on the wall in the clubhouse. But she'd never heard of June.

Did June stop coming around voluntarily after she divorced Eggs or was she no longer welcome because she left her old man? If Becky left Tom Tom would she no longer be welcome? If Gabby ever left Casper would she no longer be welcome? Or would she still be welcome as Happy's daughter? Would Becky be welcome as Gabby's friend if she wasn't with Tom Tom, just as she'd always been?

Becky was getting rather sick of all the questions rattling around in her head.

* * *

Casper and Tom Tom parked outside Gabby's rehab clinic. Casper hadn't given Gabby any kind of a heads up about him stopping in, or the lockdown, or anything else. And he really didn't want to tell her about it now, either. Especially after her confession this morning about needing a break from the guys. This lockdown was not going to go well.

"You want me to go in with you?" Tom Tom teased as Casper continued to sit. Casper rolled his eyes and climbed of his bike.

He dug in his wallet on his way inside for his access card and swiped it at the door instead of buzzing and waiting for someone to let him in. He stepped inside the first set of doors and up to a window. Casper slipped the card through a slot to a security guard. He was usually annoyed by the high security of this place, but today he was thankful for it. Only staff got free reign through the building. Patients had different cards that didn't allow them out, or in, the building without an escort. Casper had an access card because his son was in the daycare here. Happy had one too, Shark didn't, and was always quite upset over that fact.

The security guard slid back the card with a visitor's sticker. Casper, from experience, stuck the sticker on his shirt immediately; the guard wouldn't open the second door until he did so.

The guard buzzed him through and Casper quickly made his way to his wife's office. He knocked on the door tentatively and waited for Gabby to yell 'come in' before opening the door.

"Hey Love." He greeted, stepping in and immediately closing the door again behind him.

Gabby's head snapped up from her ipad at the sound of her husband's voice. "Hey. What's going on?" Surprise visits from Casper were rare, and usually not a good thing.

"We need to talk." Casper said calmly and took a step forward. Gabby stood up from her desk and walked around it, meeting him in front of the couch.

"First off, everyone is okay." He put his hands out in a subconscious defensive posture as he reassured his wife.

Her arms immediately crossed over her chest and her eyes scanned him for any evidence of a fight, but found none.

"We took that kitchen this morning. But…it didn't go as smoothly as we'd hoped."

The look on Gabby's face turned from curiosity and worry into guilt. Casper had been afraid of exactly that.

"The three men…they weren't what we thought…who we thought." He paused and took a breath. "They were left over members of D-27."

The guilt on Gabby's face deepened and was paired with panic. "Shit Casper…" She started.

"We got two of them." He cut her off. "But one got away, and we don't know who it was. Lenard called for a lockdown. I gotta bring you and the kids in." He paused a minutes, debating, and decided to throw it all at her at once. "Lenard called for backup from Charming. Tig and Juice are on the way down."

Gabby sat down numbly on the couch, processing the information. She had sent the club to that house. Casper assured her that everyone was okay, that meant that someone had, or had come very close to getting extremely hurt. And they 'got' two of the men. Which meant those two men were either dead, or would be soon. And there was one on the run. One that could be running to others. Fuck.

"Gabby?" Casper asked and sat down next to her, taking her hand in his.

"This is all my fault." Gabby mumbled.

"No. No it's not." Casper assured her.

"Yes it is." She tore her hand out of his and stood back up. "I sent you to that house."

"We were looking for those guys anyway. We would have found them eventually. And better we find them now before they start recruiting more men."

"But if you had found them yourselves you would have gone in differently. You would have been better prepared."

"That's not on you. We could have sat on that address you gave us, waited to see who those men were. We didn't. That's not on you."

"It's all on me Casper! I sent you there! Everything that happened is on me!" Gabby snapped and slapped Casper in the chest. It wasn't hard but she hit his newly bruised and cracked sternum and he couldn't help but flinch and step back.

Gabby looked at him sharply. "Everyone's okay?" She repeated his words back to him. "What the fuck happened to you?"

"Nothing Gabby." She raised her eyebrows at him and went to slap his chest again. He grabbed her wrist but she used her other hand to drag up his shirt instead.

"Jesus Christ." She whispered in shock and he let go of her wrist.

"I'm fine Gabby."

"YOU GOT SHOT!" She yelled back.

"I didn't get shot. If I'd been shot in the chest I'd be dead." Stupid stupid thing to say; he was mentally kicking himself as Gabby's eyes flared a shade of blue he'd never seen before.

"Do I look stupid to you?" She snapped back. "I know what a fucking bullet wound looks like."

"And this isn't one. I was wearing a vest!" He grabbed her hand and pulled it away so his shirt would fall and hide the evidence.

"You got shot point blank in the chest Casper. At a house I sent you to. What if you'd been shot in the head?" Gabby stepped back, Casper watched as she started to go pale.

"I wasn't." Casper walked her back over to the couch and sat her down.

"I nearly got you killed." Gabby said quietly.

"You didn't." He squatted down and held her chin in his hand. "This isn't on you Gabby. Don't even think it." Gabby shook her head and he let go of it. "Love, you didn't do this. No one is blaming you. You did what we couldn't do. We've been searching the city for these guys. You found them."

Gabby sat for another moment in silence before looking at Casper finally. "Is the family in danger? The boy? The aunt and his cousin?"

"No." Casper said definitely but put that thought to the side for church. "These guys knew we were looking for them. It was just a matter of time before we showed up there. The family won't be targeted."

Gabby took a few deep breaths. She was fighting her instincts, to clam up and not deal, or to leave and avoid the whole mess. The middle of the day in her office was not the best time and place for her to try and work through everything she was feeling.

"Who else was hurt?" She asked finally.

Casper sighed, she was gonna find out as soon as she stepped into the clubhouse, there was no reason to lie. "Frankie cut his head open. Bull took one in the arm." Gabby's eyes flared again as he paused. "He's fine, got hit due to his own stupidity. AND he let the third guy get away. And technically Happy cut Frankie's head open when he pushed him down."

Gabby nodded her head. She sat silent, Casper sat next to her, holding her hand.

"We already pulled Viv and Becky in. Time for you and the kids to join in the fun." Casper moved the conversation along as best he could. Gabby was stalled; he needed to push her without upsetting her further.

"I can't." Gabby said immediately.

"Gabby." Casper nearly snapped at her but caught himself. "You don't have a choice. Lockdown. Everyone in." Casper reminded her.

Gabby stood up and stared down her husband. "I know what a fucking lockdown means. I've been through more god damn lockdowns than anyone in this charter." She stabbed him in the chest with her index finger. She was careful not to hit his bruise and Casper took that as a win. "I can't go with you right now. I have a meeting with Adam in two hours. AKA the boy that found the gang for you. I have to be there to mediate between him and his mother. Besides," she cut off Casper as he started to interrupt. "He may know more about the gang. Something could come out in the meeting."

"You're not gonna interrogate an eight year old boy." Casper said emphatically, he knew she never would, her reasoning was a lie.

"I don't know what he might say. He might tell her about where he's living now. Do you know why the gang chose that house? He might. His mom might." Gabby defended her choice to stay. "Even if it doesn't come up, I'm not bailing on him."

"Gabby, we don't know who got away. We don't know what they might do. These guys KILLED Chris on their first shot back at us. I'm not leaving you here."

"You don't know they killed Chris. That hasn't been confirmed. Besides, this place is as safe, if not safer, than the clubhouse. Come back and get me at two." She defiantly walked back to her desk and sat down.

Casper could only stare at her. He was floored. This was not his wife. His wife was stubborn, but his wife was also pure club. She had never gone against him when it came to club issues.

"Fine. If you're staying here I'm staying here." Casper crossed his arms and sat back down on the couch. Gabby didn't say a word, she simply rolled her eyes and picked up her ipad.

"I can do this all day Gabby." He egged her on.

"You only need to do it till two." She looked up at him and addressed him as she would Kristen. "Or you could take my SUV, pack us up some bags, and get Mathew and Kristen back to the clubhouse. Since you're so worried about everyone's safety."

Casper stared at her a moment trying to come up with a retort, but couldn't think of one. He finally huffed and stood up. "I'll be here at two. On the DOT. Be ready, and for god's sake wait inside."

He slammed her office door closed and she flinched slightly but returned to her ipad and slouched back in her chair. She had nearly gotten her husband killed. Her husband that she threatened to leave last night. Jesus what was she thinking? She loved Casper more than she thought she could stand. She didn't think she deserved him. The thought of him nearly dying this morning made her sick to her stomach.

She thought they had forgiven each other last night, they had been fine this morning. But he was obviously still angry at her. He didn't understand. The things she was dealing with were things he couldn't help her with. She didn't want him to know how much pain she was in. She didn't want him to worry. Obviously she had failed in that attempt.

She took a deep breath and set her ipad back down, cradling her head in a hand. She couldn't deal with a lockdown right now. She couldn't walk into the clubhouse and look those men in the eye knowing how much danger SHE had put them in. Even if no one had voiced it, a few of the men must be thinking it. She gave them that address. They took her word on the men inside. This was her fault.

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_Thanks for reading :D_


	21. Chapter 21

_As always a big thank you to my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle and the Freak Circle._

_Thanks for being patient with me, i promise not to skip any more updates unless some huge crisis arises!_

_I got quite a few comments about Happy kind of stepping away from Gabby, some of them anonymous which means I couldn't answer them. And since there was no update last week I thought I would add a little recap of events along with a timeline for the last few chapters. Happy hasn't really disappeared; in fact, he only went one full day without seeing Gabby._

_Tuesday - Gabby held the club dinner at her house. She told of the story of how she lost her first tooth to Happy Shark and Casper. Shark called Tig which led to Gabby and Tig finally having their talk. Gabby was upset and wouldn't let anyone comfort her, including her father. She argues with Casper who won't let her drop the subject and then argues with Shark for butting in, before finally sleeping in the den._

_Wednesday - After work Gabby sees the pictures of her mother and has a panic attack. When Casper comes home they fight and Gabby leaves because she isn't ready to talk to Casper. Vin finds her, they talk, and Vin brings her home. Casper and Gabby fight more because Casper is hurt she won't talk to him, and angry she chose to talk to Vin instead. Gabby threatens to leave Casper if he doesn't drop the subject in a desperate attempt to protect herself from facing her biggest demons._

_Thursday - Casper and Gabby make up in the morning and talk about going on vacation. The club takes down the kitchen, the lockdown is called, and Casper and Gabby once again fight in the office, this time over Gabby leaving. Casper feels disrespected that she won't just come with him, but she is not willing to cancel on the little boy that gave them the information in the first place._

_And that brings us to this chapter, still Thursday in SOA land. I know it's a little confusing, but just like in real life, things tend to happen all at once, within a few days, and then things calm down for a bit, and then drama starts up again._

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Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Tom Tom sat silently on his bike as Casper carried Mathew out of the building and over to Gabby's SUV. He fished keys out of his pocket and set about buckling his son into his car seat. Tom Tom continued to glance at the main doors waiting for Gabby. But she wasn't coming out.

Casper whistled to get Tom Tom's attention and nodded to the road before getting in the driver's seat. Tom Tom took one more quick glance at the clinic doors before revving his bike and following the SUV onto the road, completely confused.

The men drove straight to Casper and Gabby's house. Casper buzzed the garage open and pulled in. Tom Tom parked not far behind and stood waiting for an explanation as Casper got his son out of his car seat. Casper glanced at Tom Tom out of the corner of his eye and sighed as he settled Mathew on his hip.

"Gabby has a meeting with the kid that gave us the house, she's gonna see if she can get any more information out of him. Maybe why they picked that house."

Tom Tom nodded his head as he followed Casper inside. It sounded plausible, and if Tom Tom hadn't been privy to Gabby going AWOL last night he might have even believed it.

"Need you to watch him while I pack." Casper said once they got to the kitchen.

"You need me to what?" Tom Tom's head snapped from Casper to Mathew.

"Jesus Tom Tom, just make sure he doesn't break shit, okay? Kristen can do that for god's sake. Take him out on the swing set."

Tom Tom raised his eyebrows at Casper's mini outburst. Casper set Mathew down and jogged up the stairs to start packing. Mathew gave Tom Tom a curious look and then walked into the kitchen and started trying to drag a chair over to the pantry.

"Shit." Tom Tom mumbled. "What are you doing Mathew?" Tom Tom asked, grabbing the top of the chair.

"Snack!" Mathew said excitedly and pointed to the pantry.

"Ummm, are you allowed to have a snack?" Tom Tom asked the one and a half year old.

Mathew cocked his head at Tom Tom. "Snack!" He said again.

"Okay, snack." Tom Tom opened the pantry and looked inside. Gabby's kids were always eating healthy food; so he wasn't surprised to not find a bunch of junk food to choose from. In fact, it looked like there was no kid food at all.

"Umm…"

"Snack!" Mathew said again. Tom Tom looked at him and then back at the pantry.

"Okay bud, how about you pick something." Tom Tom bent down and picked Mathew up, holding him awkwardly so he could face the shelves of food. Mathew reached out and grabbed a can of soup.

"No, no. No soup. Soup is not a snack." Tom Tom tried to pry the can out of the boys hand and Mathew let out a loud screeching cry.

"Jesus Mathew, you can't have soup." Tom Tom tried again for the can and Mathew tossed it with all his might back into the pantry clearing half a shelf of cans.

Mathew laughed and reached for another can to throw. "No." Tom Tom said and pulled him away from the pantry causing him to shriek again.

"Shit, come on, let's go outside, please?" Tom Tom begged while setting him back down and closed the pantry door.

"Snack!" Mathew repeated once again.

Tom Tom looked around the kitchen and grabbed an apple out of a bowl on the counter.

"Mathew, you want an apple?"

Mathew nodded his head enthusiastically and reached out for it instantly. Tom Tom breathed a sigh of relief and turned back to the fridge and started taking out the perishable food to be bagged. He could hear Mathew pounding the apple on the floor and decided the boy must not actually be hungry.

Tom Tom started digging through cupboards till he found bags just like Becky's and quickly filled them with the food he had pulled out. That is until an apple collided with his knee.

"What the fuck?" Tom Tom looked down as he swore and rubbed his knee, it was damp with sticky juice.

"Are you swearing at my kid?" Casper came in and dropped three duffle bags on the floor.

"No! He just… he threw an apple at me." Tom Tom pointed down to Mathew on the floor.

"Daddy, snack!" Mathew got up and ran to his father.

Casper picked him up and sat him on his hip. "Where'd he get an apple from?" Casper asked as he walked over to the pantry and grabbed a box of cheerios.

"He was hungry." Tom Tom shrugged.

Casper froze whilst taking a handful of cereal out for Mathew. "Seriously?" He asked and Tom Tom shrugged again, pouring the bowl of fruit into the last bag. "Dude, he has five teeth. How's he gonna bite into an apple?"

Tom Tom looked at Mathew trying to get the cheerios out of Casper's fist and shrugged again, feeling stupid. "He took it."

"Of course he…never mind. Grab the food, we gotta go."

Casper grabbed the duffle bags and walked out of the house shaking his head. Tom Tom followed with the food. Casper dropped the duffle bags on the garage floor and let Tom Tom load them in the back while he buckled his son into his car seat.

Tom Tom finished and pulled his bike out, waiting to get behind the SUV and follow Casper to pick up Kristen from school.

When they got back to the clubhouse Shark was still on the gate and let the men in before securing the gate and walking to the parked SUV. He opened the back and grabbed the duffle bags. Tom Tom walked around to the back and grabbed the food. Shark gave him a look, asking what happened but Tom Tom simply shook his head and walked away with the food.

"Uncle Shark!" Kristen squealed and ran to give him a hug as soon as her father freed her from the SUV.

"Hey munchkin." Shark gave her a big smile and a one armed hug.

"Uncle Shark I got out of school early today!"

"Kristen, hold your brothers hand and go inside." Casper came over and set his son on the pavement. Kristen took Mathews hand and headed inside. Casper reached up and closed the back of the SUV and held out his arm for the bags.

"I got 'em man." Shark shook his head, dismissing the help. "What's going on?"

Casper looked at him a moment before heading inside, Shark followed. "Gonna go back and get her at two."

Shark bit his lip to keep from asking more questions. He knew his friend was having a hard time. "Tig and Juice are here. Juice made himself at home with your computer shit. I talked to Tig."

"What did you say?" Casper stopped right outside the door.

"Just told him to lay off Gabby during the lockdown. Don't need any more drama, especially with all of us packed in here."

"What did he say?"

"That he was only here to help."

"Right."

The two men walked through the door and almost immediately Lenard grabbed Casper's attention and nodded him over. Casper took a breath and walked over.

"Yeah Pres?"

"Where's Gabby?" Lenard asked directly. Luckily no one else was in ear shot.

Casper paused a moment before answering. He was caught off guard. How could Lenard know she wasn't still outside? Lenard must have guessed what he was thinking because he nodded to the large TV behind the bar. Juice had apparently hooked the security cameras up to it and the whole lot, back and front, was displayed in little squares on the TV.

"She has a meeting with the boy that gave us the address. She's hoping to get more information out of him. Her building is secure, she's safe there." The fact that he'd had no say in the matter didn't need to be mentioned to his President.

Lenard nodded his head. "You know she's not to blame for what went wrong today. I ain't ever gonna admit to it, but Bull was right. We should have sat on that house a day and gotten a look at the goings on."

"I know, but she's still blaming herself."

Lenard nodded and patted Casper on the back. "Just don't tell her you got shot." He chuckled and walked away. Casper ran a hand down his face; too late for that.

* * *

Casper pulled his wife's SUV up next to his forgotten bike and parked. Tom Tom pulled up on the other side of Casper's bike. Casper got out of the driver's seat and started toward the doors of the clinic.

Gabby opened them just as he arrived and stepped out of the building. "Hey." She smiled and attempted to sound normal. She felt bad for the way she had been acting, especially after Casper had such a close call this morning. But the memories going through her head right now were making her dizzy; and nauseous.

"Hi." Casper said back and walked beside her, his hand on the small of her back. He helped her into the SUV and shut her door without another word, or smile.

She waited for him to pull out and pulled out behind him, Tom Tom bringing up the rear, all the way back to the clubhouse. Tony opened the gate for them and locked it again. By the looks of the parking lot she was the last to arrive. But she must not have been because Tony was still posted at the gate.

She climbed out of the SUV and looked around. The parking lot was full, but not packed. All the patches bikes in one line. The hang arounds bikes in another line. Becky's car, Vivica's SUV, and the cars of the sweet butts, six cars for the eight sweet butts.

A full parking lot wasn't the most unusual thing. Big Friday night parties drew a bigger crowd than this. It was the two sentries pacing the roof with automatic rifles that really put things into prospective for Gabby. She hadn't seen that since her last lockdown in Charming. She remembered being nearly kidnapped by Gemma to get supplies for it. Then hiding in Happy's dorm for the majority of that one.

Gabby took a deep breath and headed towards the clubhouse. Casper fell in step next to her. She could feel tension radiating off him. She wasn't sure how much of it was the lockdown and D-27, and how much was her. Refusing to go with him earlier today was probably a huge blow to his ego, but it had truly not been about him. She had promised that boy she'd be there for him.

Casper leaned forward and opened the door for Gabby. She went in without hesitation; it would do no good at this point. Another wave of nausea washed over her and she swallowed it back down and did a quick scan of the room. Casper walked off to the tech corner to join Juice, Tom Tom followed him. Lenard was standing in a corner overseeing the crowd, Frankie sat by him, but the two men weren't speaking, more like, reflecting. Bull was sitting on a couch with a sweet butt. Shark was at a table with Becky and the kids. Tig, Harry, Happy, and Vin seemed to be missing from the clubhouse.

Gabby walked up to the table and kissed both her kids on the head. Shark got up and slid his chair out for Gabby to sit. She was glad she had missed the chaos of getting ready for this lockdown but the guilt of not helping still hit her.

Mathew carefully made his way from the chair to his mother's lap as Kristen continued to color. "Where's Vivica?" Gabby asked Shark and Becky.

"In the office, has been since she got here." Shark filled in.

"She said you were in charge." Becky added.

Gabby sighed and grabbed the ipad Mathew had been watching a cartoon on; she held it up for him to continue watching. "I can't imagine what she's going through right now. Everything here reminds her of Chris, I'm sure."

Carol came by and poured Gabby a cup of coffee and freshened Becky's. "You need anything?" She offered.

"I'm good, thanks. Any problems here?"

"Everything's good here. Girls are a little miffed; no one's told them anything. They don't understand what's going on."

"What do you know?" Gabby asked. She didn't want to step on the club's toes and reveal more than they were planning to.

"All's I know is the guys came back in a hurry, some of them hurt, and locked the gate." Carol shrugged her shoulders. Gabby looked perplexed.

"Lenard should make an announcement. He might be waiting for more people to get here." Gabby suggested.

"Happy and Vin are on their way back." Shark informed her.

Gabby nodded her head. "If he doesn't I'll talk to the girls. For now just tell them it's to keep them safe."

Carol nodded at Gabby's promise and went off to serve more coffee. Once Shark wondered off Becky leaned forward and talked quietly.

"Do you know what all is going on? Tom Tom told me a little, but… I think he left stuff out."

Gabby looked at Becky a moment, and then down at Kristen and Suzie who were both coloring. "Whatever Tom Tom told you is what he thinks you need to know. I'm not gonna step on anyone's toes. What I want to talk about is you and him as a whole."

Becky immediately turned pink and looked down; Gabby smiled. "That good, huh?" Gabby asked and Becky went from pink to red.

"No…that…we haven't." Becky looked first at Gabby and then the kids. "We haven't." Becky repeated herself more firmly; not able to go into further detail with the current audience. Gabby gave her a knowing look.

"They're here." Casper announced and Gabby looked in the direction everyone else was and saw the screen behind the bar and watched the black van pull into the lot. Tony locked the gate and followed it.

Lenard looked to Frankie. "Get everyone in. Church." Frankie nodded and got up. He headed up the stairs and Gabby realized Harry and Tig were indeed here, they were the sentries she'd spotted on the roof when she pulled in.

The mood in the room changed. The men grew tense; the women felt it and got quiet. The door opened and Happy and Vin walked in, followed by Tony. Seconds later Tig and Harry came down the stairs with Frankie.

Lenard looked to Hap and Vin. Hap gave him a nod and Lenard gave him one back. The tension broke.

"Church in five. Tony, you're in." Tony looked at Lenard in surprise, he'd been in church more often recently, but it was still unusual for him.

Happy and Vin walked further into the clubhouse. Vin looked pale, sick even. Happy looked murderous. His eyes were pure black.

"Grandpa!" Mathew called and hopped off Gabby's lap to run to Happy.

Happy looked down at him and nearly flinched.

"No Mathew." Gabby grabbed him and looked at her father. "Grandpa needs to change his clothes."

Happy locked eyes with her. If anyone understood Happy right now it was Gabby. Happy had just done unspeakable things. Gabby knew this. He needed the comfort of his family, and she wouldn't deny him that. But first he needed to come back down to earth. Wash the killer off his hands and face and find his human side again.

* * *

The men all sat around the large table in church; the doors firmly shut to the crowd in the bar. Extra chairs had been pulled up for Tig and Juice. Tony was relegated to standing in the back. All the men knew that the wounded man had been tortured, killed, and buried with his unlucky friend. Those details didn't need to be discussed. No one wanted to hear about Happy's techniques. What did need to be discussed was what had happened this morning, the ramifications of it, and what had been learned from their captive.

No one seemed keen to start the conversation. Lenard was running his eyes over the men around his table. Vin was still pale from his morning with Happy. Bull looked like his name sake, angry and ready to charge at the first man to meet his glare. Casper's jaw was tightly clenched; he was staring intently at the table.

"So I guess I choose the right day to take off." Harry broke the silence and Lenard couldn't help but crack a smile.

"You always did have good timing old man."

Harry nodded and stubbed out his cigar. "So what happened?"

Lenard looked around the table and sighed. "Yeah. What happened?" He looked pointedly at Bull.

Bull remained quiet, Tony took a step forward. "I got over there quick as I could after the gunshots. Ran right into the guy, I took him down…but, he still got away. Took some shots at his car. Blew out the back window. I don't think I hit him though."

"Did you see who it was? You know these guys. Better than the rest of us at least." Frankie put him on the spot.

"I didn't get a real good look. But it was either X or Cato."

"Cato moved back to LA. Got a legit job as a valet. Probably skimming cars…but he's on the books there." Casper informed the group.

"So then it was X, how sure are you on that?" Lenard again asked Tony.

"Sure of what I saw. They both got the same hair, same height and build; it had to be one of those two."

Lenard nodded his head. "So it was X. The guy we left in charge."

"Deus's brother." Vin mumbled.

"The guy we think killed Chris." Shark added.

"If he didn't kill him he certainly orchestrated it. What do we know about the guys left in town?" Lenard moved the subject along.

"X, Sling, Tiago, Luce, Salus, and Viper were all the known members that we couldn't find. Sling was the cook. He was the man you took alive, he and Tiago are no more. Luce was Sling's brother. He was never in diablos. Salus and Viper weren't either. They were both Fresno dealers." Casper quickly summed up everything.

"So that leaves four men alive that could still be here, if they didn't recruit more."

"Unless some of those left." Casper shrugged his shoulders at Lenard's remark. "I doubt they've been recruiting. We've been searching the streets for these guys. No tags, no allies, no movement."

"And what did our friend have to say?" Lenard turned to Happy.

"It was X at the house. The cook's brother, Luce, and Viper were dealing the drugs. The others were hiding. Salus is somewhere in Fresno, laying low. Sling didn't know where he was. X wrote him off." Happy spoke frankly.

"Anything else?" Lenard asked.

Happy cracked his knuckles. "I tried for more he didn't seem to know much."

"Vin?" Lenard asked, turning to him.

"Happy made him quite….talkative. Only other thing we got of interest was the house. The mom of the boy owed Viper money. They were using her sister's house as payment on the debt."

"Will they go back there?" Casper asked and the table turned to him. "Is the family in danger?"

"Shit." Lenard swore under his breath. "That's just what we need right now. Innocents getting hurt 'cause of us."

"It's only three men." Frankie reminded him.

"It was only three men today!" Lenard shouted back and the room got quiet. Lenard wiped a hand down his face. He turned to Happy. "Any word on where Luce and Viper were dealing out of? Where they might be hiding? Is X gonna run to them?"

"Tiago took the product from the house to a convenience store, made the drop. Sling had no contact with them. X wouldn't allow it. Couldn't even talk to his brother on the phone."

"X got real paranoid. Wasn't talking, wasn't giving any of the guys a plan. That's why half the group went back to LA." Vin informed the men. Referring to the arrest of three of the D-27 members in LA and the other working legally there.

"Did our friend the cook give conformation that X killed Chris?"

"No confirmation of that. But he did confirm that X was Deus's brother. And that he swore revenge. But like I said, he wasn't sharing with the class." Vin answered Lenard.

"Anything else?" Vin and Hap looked at each other, and then back at Lenard.

"He doesn't like fire." Hap shrugged his shoulders.

"NOTHING ELSE." Vin said loudly cutting Happy off and once again went pale.

"Jesus Christ." Tom Tom muttered under his breath, many of the other men doing the same.

"So what now?" Bull asked, staring down Lenard.

Lenard stared back. "Now we find these three men. X is on the run. Probably gonna try to hit us. We don't know if Viper and Luce even know what happened. They weren't going to the house. The go between is dead. They may be waiting for the next drop."

"They had everything they needed, but they weren't cooking. So they had probably just made a drop." Shark assumed.

"They had a woman and two kids in the house. What are the chances they were polite enough to not cook till they all left for the day?" Frankie asked sarcastically.

"Don't know about that, but the set up was small. So they had to be cooking near round the clock to make any money off of it. Probably caught them right before they got started for the day. I'd say there should be a drop in the next day or so, if the dealers don't get warned, we might be able to use that to flush them out." Shark figured.

"Anything more on the drop than just some convenience store?" Frankie asked Vin.

"No." Vin shook his head.

"Yes." Tom Tom spoke up and all the men looked at him in surprise. "No one else noticed?" Tom Tom looked around the table. "There were a shit ton of 7-eleven cups in the kitchen, and there isn't a 7-eleven within two miles of that house."

"Seriously?"

"Really?"

"You have got to be shitting me."

"I'm not following that lead."

"Guys, come on. Okay, I see your issue with it, but here's what we do. Find out where the woman works, and where the kids go to school, take all the possible routes, see if they pass a 7-eleven. If they don't that's the store they were using for the drops, if they pass one we move on." Tom Tom looked around the table again. "Anyone got any better ideas?"

All the men stayed silent and Tom Tom smiled triumphantly.

"Fine. Tony get started on that. Take Juice, he'll find you the addresses." Lenard sighed. "Ride together!" He yelled at the two as the men rose.

Casper nodded up at Juice. "All the info is on the laptop, encrypted. File name DMS32H8." Juice nodded his head as he walked out.

Tig looked at Lenard expecting to be sent out as well, but the man didn't seem bothered by his presence.

"So?" Lenard put to the group.

"So?" Harry shot back.

"Tony's got a month left. He's done well for us. What do we think of him?" Lenard put out there.

"He let the guy get away." Tom Tom shrugged.

"So did Bull." Shark muttered. "At least Tony took some shots at him."

"Fuck you man. I got shot." Bull pointed at his arm.

"So did Casper." Shark spat back. Tig eyed Casper, but the man didn't notice.

"We don't need to vote on Tony right away, but I will remind you we need man power right now." Lenard interrupted the fighting. "We're a man short. And if this turns into a war we're gonna need all the man power we can get. We already talked about Lance. I think we should prospect him now, not wait."

"Two prospects at once?" Shark sounded skeptical.

"We all came in together." Casper indicated himself Tom Tom and Bull.

"If we bring Lance in now, in the middle of this shit, he'll just run to the hills. He needs time to adjust before jumping into the thick of it." Frankie shook his head.

"We put off Lance till Tony was done because he's too green." Vin reminded the president.

"Look, the timing is shit. I'm not ignoring that. But the fact is, we need bodies. Lance is next up." Lenard spoke his mind.

"Trial by fire." Happy shrugged his shoulders. "Might as well see what he has in the worst of it. You take on a prospect during peaceful times, you have no idea what he'll do when shit goes south. You take one on with shit like this hanging over our heads, you'll see his true colors quick."

The whole table knew Happy was referring to Bull, but no one said anything, no one even glanced his way.

"He helps or he's out, and we find another more suited." Casper agreed with his father in law.

"Plus," Shark smiled. "Tony let X escape. Bringing in a new prospect might rattle his cage a little, make him try harder."

"Let's vote it." Lenard picked up his gavel. "All in favor of Lance prospecting?" The men all Aye'd in unisons and Lenard slammed the gavel down.

"Lance-a-lot." Shark immediately declared.

"Too obvious." Tom Tom shook his head. Vin groaned.

"King Arthur." Harry declared.

"Maybe if his name was Arthur, or he looked like a moose." Bull rolled his eyes.

"Looked like a moose?" Casper and Shark both asked simultaneously.

"That Arthur animal cartoon thing about reading." Bull said as if it were obvious.

"Arthur is an aardvark." Casper explained.

"No he's not." Shark shook his head. "He's a dog."

"He is NOT a dog. He's an aardvark."

"What the fuck is an aardvark?" Shark asked of his friend.

"Boys?" Vin cleared his throat but Lenard waved him off and let them continue to argue. Vin looked at Lenard and he shrugged.

"Serious shit today." Lenard said in a low voice for just the officers to hear. The men needed some humor.

"I'll get the cut for Lance." Frankie volunteered. Lenard sighed. "Harley store ain't our usual pattern, and if someone does follow us it'll look caual."

"Take someone with you."

"I'll go." Tig leaned forward and offered. Frankie nodded his head.

Lenard cleared his throat to get the still quarreling men's attention. "We'll meet again once Juice and Tony get back, figure out what we're doing. Induct Lance then." He tapped the gavel and got up, followed by his officers.

"Lockdown mean Lance don't get a party?" Tom Tom asked slightly pouting.

"What, you sick of Becky already? Looking for new pussy?" Bull teased him.

"Fuck You." Tom Tom yelled. Shark caught him just before he pounced on Bull.

"HEY HEY HEY!" Tig got between the two as well. "No fighting during a lockdown! There's women and children out there. Don't start shit 'round them." The men both pulled away and the doors opened.

Happy strolled directly over to his grandkids and picked up Mathew. Tig watched the man cling to him for what looked like dear life. He ran a hand over Kristen's head and leaned down and kissed Gabby on the head.

Tig took a deep breath as he stood in the doorway. He distinctly remembered the fight he and Kozik had over Gabby during a lockdown. It hadn't even registered until Clay pulled them in chapel that she was nearly crushed by them. He wasn't a hypocrite. He learned from his mistakes. ALL of his mistakes.

* * *

_Thanks for reading! :D:D_


	22. Chapter 22

_Special thanks to the freak circle and especially my wonderful beta, _EmeraldJewelSparkle_._

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Gabby closed the door on her napping son and headed to the kitchen to see what she could pull together to feed the large horde of people currently taking up every chair, couch cushion, and stool of the clubhouse.

Lenard hadn't made any type of announcement before the men had started church. Juice and Tony had been dismissed early, printed out some information, and left. Frankie and Tig had left shortly after they got out of church as well, but came back quickly. Casper and Tom Tom were both hitting the computers hard. Well, more like Tom Tom was scanning and searching through whatever Casper was pulling up. Tom Tom made a decent nerd, but Casper was the hacker. Casper had barely acknowledged Kristen and Mathew, let alone Gabby. He went out of his way to not even sit facing her as he worked on his laptop.

The rest of the men were simply sitting around. Gabby could tell they were getting antsy, thus Gabby's idea to get food going. She peaked into the bar on her way to the kitchen, the situation had not changed. Kristen and Suzie were watching a movie on an ipad, sharing head phones. God bless ipads. Gabby wasn't a big fan of sitting her kids in front of electronics to keep them busy, but in the clubhouse they were very handy.

She entered the kitchen and immediately started checking out the food situation. It was actually a lot more organized than she was expecting. She pulled several pounds of ground meat out and debated making hamburgers.

"Too much work." She mumbled out loud and grabbed spaghetti noodles and a few jars of sauce out of the pantry. Spaghetti with meat sauce was certainly easier for such a large group of people and there were enough assorted greens to serve it with a salad.

"Knock knock." Carol said as well as knocking on the door frame. "Can I help?"

Gabby shrugged. "Sure, not much work to do though."

Carol nodded her head and washed her hands. She took in the ingredients on the counter and grabbed a large skillet to start browning the meat.

"So…" Carol started. She sliced the first package of meat open and dropped it into the skillet. Gabby opened the lid of the garbage so Carol could toss the empty packages in.

"So…" Gabby said back, staring at the red juice in the bottom of a package. She swallowed down bile and closed the lid. The juice reminding her of blood, the blood reminding her of Casper's bruised chest, and near death.

"So Lenard didn't announce anything before church; or after." Carol reminded her.

Gabby sighed as she filled a large pot up to start boiling water. "Right, yeah. I noticed that." She put the pot on the stove and went back to the fridge, pulling out salad makings.

"Some of the girls want to know if they have to stay. We've got jobs." Carol said a little annoyed. "I've got a shift tomorrow; I can't afford to call off 'less I have too."

"Okay." Gabby set down what she was holding and sighed. "I'll talk to Lenard." Carol stood staring at her. "Now." Gabby added. She was really wishing Vivica hadn't put her in charge at the moment.

"Thanks Gabby."

"Mm hmm." Gabby hummed as she walked out of the kitchen. Carol had a good point, it was Thursday, she had told her boss she would miss tomorrow, but could Kristen go to school? Maybe Monday? She didn't expect to be told the plan, but an estimated timeline would certainly help.

She looked around the clubhouse. Becky looked up at her from the book she was reading next to the kids, but Gabby waved her off.

Lenard was sitting on a couch in the back with Happy; great. Gabby took a deep breath and walked over to Lenard.

"Lenard, can I talk to you a minute?" Gabby asked. She wasn't afraid of Lenard, the man was a teddy bear, but her guilt about this morning had yet to dissipate, she was still in fact bracing to get yelled at.

"Of course hun. What is it?" He put his beer on the floor next to the couch. Happy sat up straighter as well, curious.

"Can we talk privately?" Gabby rephrased her question.

Lenard looked to Happy slightly shocked. Happy looked back at him and then turned to Gabby. He had been made aware that Gabby hadn't come straight here with Casper. He knew something was going on, but he still couldn't tell what, and he wasn't gonna wait much longer for Gabby to come to him.

Happy looked back at Lenard and swept his hand out in an 'oh well' fashion and Lenard stood up. He looked around the room. Taking Gabby into the chapel would draw a lot of attention. He walked Gabby out of the bar instead, past the kitchen, to the storage room.

"This about you and Casper?" He asked as soon as he shut the door.

Gabby gasped slightly in surprise. "Casper and I are fine." Gabby said firmly.

"No hun, you aren't." Lenard crossed his arms and leaned against the door. He wasn't purposely cutting off her exit, the door was the only flat surface in the room, the other walls all covered in shelves.

Gabby pushed her hair off her shoulders. What was with these guys and butting into her and Casper's personal life? "Carol and the other girls haven't been told what's going on. They need to know when they can go to work, if they can leave."

Lenard blew out a breath and wiped a hand over his face. "Where's Vivica?"

"Holed up in the office. Becky said she didn't want to be disturbed. I'm in charge apparently. I don't want to tell the girls anything until I clear it with you. I was waiting for you to make some kind of announcement." Gabby said as cautiously and tactfully as she could.

"An announcement?" Lenard asked, confused.

"Some kind of short speech. Tell everyone this won't take long and it's all for their own safety." Gabby explained.

Lenard sighed. "Guess you've been through this a bit more than I have."

"Maybe just more recently." Gabby comforted him.

Lenard sighed again deeply and shook his head. He broke eye contact with Gabby. "I don't want this Gabby." Lenard confessed. His hands dropped to his sides, his lean turned into more of a sag.

"Don't want the lockdown? I thought you called it."

"No, I don't want the club."

Gabby took a step back in shock. "Lenard…"

"No, no, I want the club. I don't want to be in charge. I don't want all this shit on me. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm still grieving my friend."

Gabby nodded her head. She wanted to scream 'why are you telling me this?' But she knew the answer. "And if you tell the guys you don't want to be president?" Gabby led him on.

Lenard stood silent.

Gabby took a deep breath. "Guess that wouldn't go over to well." She looked at him carefully, and finally, she couldn't help but to ask. "Lenard, all due respect, why are you telling me all this?"

"I don't know what I'm doing. I need you." Lenard said simply.

"Lenard…" Gabby looked at him blankly. "I know what you're thinking, but I didn't grow up in the club. I don't know as much as you think I do. I spent most of my time avoiding the clubhouse. Avoiding the old ladies, avoiding everything. I'm not the born and bred club girl you guys think I am."

"You know the behind the scenes deal. You keep the woman under control. You take care of the guys. You know the politics."

"There are no politics in Fresno. That's why I like it here. There's no clicks or secrets or feuds. There are no fine lines to navigate around. We're a family here."

"We are. And families help each other."

Gabby sighed. "What do you want me to do?"

"What needs done?" Lenard asked, he wasn't being rhetorical, he didn't know.

"The girls need the lockdown explained to them. Are the girls in danger? Are you just being cautious? And it's only Thursday. Can Kristen go to school tomorrow? Can I and the other girls go to work?"

"We're being cautious. This shouldn't take long. I want the kids here. I'm not standing over a three foot long coffin. The girls will get escorts to work and back if they must go in. Other than that they can leave at their own risk."

Gabby nodded her head and absently rubbed her left temple. "Fair enough."

"Gabby." Lenard stood up straight and took a step toward her. "What's going on with you?"

Gabby sighed heavily. "What do you say you and I grab the kids and hit the road? Go far away. India."

"Gabby…"

"Okay, India is negotiable, but for the record a lot of people there speak English."

"Gabby…"

"Mexico?"

Lenard chuckled. "You know, you talk a lot more than Happy, but I think you say even less than him."

Gabby smiled, she knew it wasn't an insult. She was certainly friendlier than her father, but perhaps due to his influence, she didn't speak much about her personal life.

"Yeah well, just another episode of 'emotionally stunted wife versus possessive worry wart husband.' We'll be fine. Not the first time things have been strained."

"Strained is how most of my marriages ended." Lenard chastised.

"Only most?" Gabby teased, but Lenard was serious. "You have to work through the bad times. It takes two people to fight; no one person is ever entirely to blame."

Lenard huffed. "My second wife told me the same thing. Turns out she was skimming my bank accounts and cheating on me."

"Not that you're bitter or anything."

"Nah." Lenard smiled. "Just don't let this shit make anything worse."

"I won't be a distraction." Gabby assured him.

"Not what I meant. Three men got hurt this morning. And I want you to know even with all the anger and frustration in church, not one of those men even attempted to blame you. I know you Gabby. Known you for years now; don't carry this on your shoulders."

Gabby nodded her head. "Trying not to. Dinner should be ready soon. I'm gonna help Carol. I'll talk to the girls after we clean up."

"Thanks Gabby." Lenard opened the door for her before following her out. He thought better of heading straight back to Happy and grabbed a stool from Lance who was more than eager to give it up for him.

Carol was straining the noodles, nearly ready to serve dinner, when Gabby got back to the kitchen. She washed her hands once more and quickly started pulling the salad together.

"So?" Carol once again started the conversation. She dumped the noodles into the pot of sauce and rinsed the colander out for Gabby to fill with lettuce.

"If you need to work you'll get an escort." Gabby filled her in as she shredded lettuce into the colander for Carol to rinse. "I'll talk to the girls after dinner. Speaking of which, where are the other girls?"

"I needed a break from them." Carol confessed with a half chuckle.

Gabby smiled and laughed as she chopped vegetables. She understood. She felt bad for Carol sometimes. She would have made a great old lady if the men who were so enthralled with her now had been ready to settle down when she first arrived on the scene. Now she was still appealing, but she was used, shared, and therefore not old lady material. If only the younger girls would actually learn from Carol and not spread their legs for every guy in a patch hoping for one to claim them.

Carol handed back the now clean and dry lettuce and Gabby dumped it into the bowl she was slowly filling, mixing everything together.

"Buffet style?" Carol asked.

"Gabby!" Both women turned around at the sound of Casper's voice.

"Get the girls to help you serve." Gabby threw over her shoulder as she walked toward her old man. She locked eyes with him then walked past him back into the storage room, he followed.

"What the fuck Gabby?" He said as soon as he closed the doors.

This time both of Gabby's hands made their way to her temples. "I need more than that." She said a little more sarcastically than she should have.

Casper rammed his fist against the closed door. "We JUST talked about this."

Gabby took a deep breath. This time she had no idea what he was mad at. Did they talk about being nice to sweet butts? When was the last time she made spaghetti?

"What the hell did you talk to Lenard about that you couldn't talk to me about?" He spat out at her silence.

Oh shit, was all Gabby could think. He was mad because she was pouring her heart out to someone other than her husband, who apparently owned her according to his rant last night. She had been almost sorry for her over reaction and subsequent threat of leaving him last night, but now he was being downright childish. What, was she not allowed to talk to any other men now? Had she suddenly lost the right to vote and own property as well?

"You seriously came over to yell at me for talking to one of your brothers? News flash Casper. I don't want to be here. I'm here because of you. Because of your club. I will gladly go home if you don't like the way I'm behaving."

"Don't make this worse." He warned, pointing his index finger.

"Oh that wasn't making it worse, you want it worse I'll fucking make it worse." Gabby stepped up to him, staring at him, not caring that he was looming over her. "What the fuck do you think we talked about? You think I walked right up to him, bypassing everyone else so I could bare my deepest darkest secrets to him? Or maybe you think we're having some sort of affair. Maybe that's why I've been closing you off."

"How the hell am I supposed to know what you're talking about if you won't say ANYTHING to me?" He screamed.

Gabby took a deep breath. She was usually the one to lose her temper when they fought; Casper stayed calm and calmed her down. She wasn't sure if she had pushed him too far, or nearly dying this morning was making things worse, but she suddenly found herself needing to be the one to stay calm.

"I was talking to Lenard on behalf of the girls. They had questions. NOW I have answers for them. Answers like whether or not they can go home, or go to work. If I had asked you those questions would you have been able to answer me or would you have had to consult Lenard?" She didn't wait for an answer; she pulled the door open and slammed it closed behind her.

Shark was in the doorway of the kitchen holding two glasses of milk for the girls. They locked eyes as Gabby walked by him, taking the glasses from him, until she passed him completely and walked into the bar.

Casper opened the door a moment later. He spotted Shark immediately. "DON'T." He warned and walked by Shark as well.

* * *

Happy sat down next to Gabby and slid a full plate in front of her. She had sat down to feed the kids after coming into the room and hadn't eaten yet herself.

She looked down at it and he caught her hiding a grimace. "Thanks dad." She leaned her head on his shoulder and he cradled it in his large hand and kissed the top of her head.

"You wanna tell me what's wrong sweetheart?"

Gabby didn't say anything, she just settled more comfortably against him. Happy dropped his hand from her head onto her shoulder and hugged her close.

"I love you sweetheart." He whispered and kissed her temple.

"Love you too dad."

"I love you too." Kristen hopped off her chair and climbed into Happy's lap. He laughed and held Kristen with his other arm.

"I love you too sweetie." Happy kissed the top of her head as she settled into his lap.

"Mommy where's auntie Vivica?"

"She's in the office sweetie. She's busy."

"Is she sad because Uncle Chris isn't here and everyone else is?" Kristen asked.

"Yeah sweetie, she misses Uncle Chris."

"I miss Uncle Chris too." Kristen spoke quietly.

"I do too sweetie." Gabby sat up and kissed Kristen's cheek. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kristen shook her head and Happy kissed the top of her head again. "If you ever do you can talk to any of us, you don't have to wait for us to offer." He assured her.

Kristen nodded her head and traced the lettering on one of Hap's patches.

"I should bring Viv some food. You got her for a sec?" Gabby asked, sitting up.

Happy let his hand fall from her shoulder. "Yeah, 'course I got her." He smiled and hugged Kristen close.

Gabby smiled as she got up from the table, Happy would keep Kristen all night if he could, especially after what he had done to the cooker this morning. Only thing that could brighten him up after doing what he'd done was his family.

Happy watched Gabby pick up the plate he had brought her and slip through the clubhouse door. Casper saw as well and followed her with his eyes till she left, then turned back to Happy. Hap nodded to him and Casper turned back to his laptop with a scowl on his face.

* * *

"Hey Viv." Gabby called out as she pushed the cracked door open. Vivica was sitting at the desk, her head cradled in her hand, elbow on the desk. She was looking at the computer monitor but Gabby could tell she wasn't really seeing anything on the screen.

"Viv?" She tried again.

Vivica raised her head in surprise. "Hey Gabby." She sat up straighter and closed out whatever had been on the monitor.

"Brought you some dinner." Gabby held up the plate before setting it on a clear spot on the desk.

"I'm sorry, I should have helped you cook." Vivica looked down at the plate.

"Carol helped." Gabby took the liberty of sitting across the desk from her. "You want some company for a bit?"

Vivica looked at her plate and then back at Gabby. "Honestly, I just kinda want to wallow alone for a bit longer. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Gabby cut her off and stood up. "I understand. This place, this club, is full of all kinds of memories. Inescapable ones. I will never blame you for trying to avoid them. Just know I'm here for you if you ever want company."

"Thank you baby." Vivica smiled and Gabby leaned over the desk and kissed her cheek.

* * *

As soon as Juice and Tony got back the men stood without being summoned and headed directly into the chapel. All the men were anxious for something to actually do.

There was no hesitation this time by the men. "What did you find?" Lenard asked as soon as everyone sat down. Casper had already looked into the routes online and knew the answer, but Lenard was old school, he liked things done in person whenever possible.

"No 7-eleven stores on the main routes for any of their normal stops. There's one, if you take a long way around from the older kids school to the rehab clinic, but there's easier ways to get there, and I don't know if they even make that trip." Juice rambled.

"So then we have a lead?" Tom Tom smiled smugly and leaned back in his chair.

"Not quite, hot shot." Casper grinned at him across the table. "There's 17 7-eleven's in Fresno. Only 12 of us."

"Just need to narrow it down. And YOU'VE been working on THAT all day, haven't ya." Tom Tom shot back.

The banter was entirely friendly; even so, Lenard needed things to start moving faster. "Have you, in fact, narrowed it down?" He asked.

"Yeah." Casper shrugged. "We haven't seen any activity, and these guys obviously have a will to live, so I highly doubt they are operating in Sons territory. That leaves only five stores."

"That took all day?" Bull mumbled.

"No it didn't." Casper heard him and glared. "I spent the rest of the day pulling up every detail on Luce, Viper, and Xavier. Viper is a Fresno dealer. Of the men left in town he's the only one that knows the city and the law here. He has customers, look outs, and his own defined territory. Looked into his background, his record, family, all his known associates, based on what I got, I can narrow that five down to three."

"Three stores in manageable, but we've got no time frame on delivery. We need to move now." Hap said, determined to end this war before it hurt anyone else.

"Agreed. But what are we doing if they show up?" Shark brought up. "I mean, grab them or follow them? And does that change based on who shows up?"

"Lay out the scenarios." Lenard challenged his men.

"Viper or Luce show up and there is no drop." Frankie stated.

"We follow 'em back to the other if we can, if not, we grab him 'fore we lose 'em." Tig took the liberty of answering. "If they both show up to the drop we grab them."

"What are the chances Xavier will show up?" Lenard asked.

The table remained silent.

"Why would he?" Lenard rephrased the question, "and if he does, what do we do?" He asked rhetorically, trying to at least start dialogue.

"If he shows up we grab him." Happy stated plainly.

"What if he shows up and only one of the other two shows up? We could miss out on the opportunity to get the third." Vin warned.

"I'll get that out of 'em." Happy grinned.

"We need to decide on every scenario now, before it happens. We're gonna be split up. Time it takes to make a call could be the time it takes to lose these guys." Lenard reined in the men.

"Luce or Viper show up we follow him to the other. They both show up we grab them. Either way we give Xavier a chance to show up, and if he does, we take him down. He is the target, the other two can walk if that's what it takes, we'll track them down later." Vin answered his president.

"How sure are you on these three stores?" Lenard turned back to Casper.

"I'm sure. Viper follows a pretty set pattern. He hasn't had enough time to set up anything new."

"But Xavier is a loose cannon. He may not follow Viper's advice." Shark cut off his best friend.

"If we don't follow Tom Tom's lead we're back to nothing." Frankie reminded the group.

"We're following the lead, my question was the locations. Best I can tell this will be our only shot at catching these guys the easy way." Lenard made the final decision.

"This is the easy way?" Bull murmured under his breath.

"No dip shit. The easy way was you not cowering in the corner and catching this gangster wanna be the first time." Harry snapped at Bull.

Juice smirked, hiding it with his hand. Tig elbowed him. It wasn't their place to be amused by the problems in this charter.

Vin cleared his throat. "Sling made it sound like there was no communication what so ever. The dealers won't know anything's happened till their load don't show up. Once that happens they probably won't come back. Viper and Luce are probably acting independently and had a set time and place for the drops. X might show up to get them, escape together or at least get some backup, protection. But chances are X is hiding, or running, and these two dealers have no idea what happened."

"There's a chance X already contacted them, and they're together and we missed our shot." Bull followed Vin up. He apparently wasn't understanding the vibe coming off of every man at the table to shut the fuck up.

"And if that's the case we've wasted an evening. But there's no point wasting a lead. So I ask again, Casper." Lenard specified. "Are you sure on these three shops of should we spread out to all five?"

"I'm saying it'll be one of the three. And we don't know what time this shit will go down so we need to move fast."

"We're gonna need teams at all three locations. Bikes hidden, we only got one van, we're gonna need other vehicles that can hold these guys." Vin started breaking down what needed done.

"We got Gabby and Viv's SUV's. Biggest vehicles at our disposal, lot more low profile than a van anyway." Lenard solved that problem immediately. "Three locations, three teams. Hap take Bull, Harry, and Tom Tom. Vin, you got Shark Tony and Casper. I'll take Frankie and you Charming fellows." Lenard immediately broke up the men. "Casper'll dole out the locations. Each team gets three in the cage, one on a bike."

"Hold up." Harry cut him off. Lenard looked across the table at him. "I ain't going." Harry shook his head as he said it.

"Harry…" Lenard tried to plead.

"No Lenard. I'm too old for cat and mouse games. 'Sides you need someone here to keep order. What if these men assume you're gonna stake out their drop and strike here instead?"

"Not gonna happen." Lenard shook his head.

"I ain't hoping for it, but none the less I ain't going."

"He's right Lenard." Vin murmured. "We can't leave this place without a patch, and we got Lance."

"You wanna throw a cut on his back and take him right out?" Lenard shook his head. "Alright." He ran a hand down his face. "Tony! Get Lance in here."

Tony looked at Lenard as if the man had just kicked him like a dog; but he dutifully walked out of the chapel and waved Lance over.

Lance and Tony walked back into the chapel together. "Did I tell you to come back in prospect?" Lenard yelled. The men all looked to the table to hide their grins.

Tony slowly backed out of the chapel and shut the doors to avoid being told to do so.

Lance stood at attention, the army vet he was, and waited for someone, anyone, to speak to him. All the men sat silent however until Lance started to squirm. His hands finally dropped down to his sides and his eyes wondered around the table.

"Dues are $75. First of the month." Frankie finally spoke.

"Don't be late." Happy growled.

"Prospect period is a Minimum of one year." Vin pronounced clearly.

Lenard stood up and tossed him a black leather cut. "Don't get yourself killed."

Lance smiled wide and shrugged on the cut.

"Wipe the fucking smile off your face." Shark snapped.

"Go wait by the van." Casper ordered and pointed at the door.

Lance barely stepped through the door when all the men yelled, "SHUT THE DOOR!"

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_

_Leave Kudos down below :D_


	23. Chapter 23

_Real life is kicking my ass right now, so updates might not be every Wednesday anymore. Not abandoning my story though, don't worry. It just may be 10 or so days between updates for a while instead of weekly._

_A big thank you to the freak circle, and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle_

* * *

Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

* * *

2022

Age 30

Shark hid his bike and crept around to climb into the back of the SUV.

"Out." Vin nodded his head at Tony.

"I still say they know him." Shark muttered as he took Tony's seat and slammed the door shut.

The prospect crossed the street and made his way behind the store. The men had agreed after excusing Lance from Church that one man from each group would stay outside the cage, close to the store, covering blind spots.

"They still think Tony is nothing but a junkie. They never saw him." Vin said, annoyed.

"X saw him." Shark reminded him.

"But the other two didn't and X only saw him while they fought. And X isn't gonna show." Casper crossed his arms and got as comfortable as he could in the driver's seat.

The conversation stopped and Shark soon started tapping his fingers on the door. Vin rolled his eyes and cleared his throat. Casper shifted and sighed loudly.

Vin checked his phone for news of the other two teams, but he knew the phone hadn't gone off. The tapping got louder and then Shark shifted, bumping his knee into the back of Vin's chair. Vin took a deep, loud, calming breath.

"Dude." Shark muttered and suddenly there was crinkling coming from the back seat. Casper dared a glance into the review mirror; Shark was happily munching on animal crackers. Casper's head dropped down.

"What?" Shark looked at him. "Want some." He offered the bag to the front seat. Casper grabbed it and threw it into the corner of the dash.

"Someone's touchy." Shark muttered and leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms.

"Just watch the fucking alley." Casper spat out.

Shark slid over behind Caser and peered out the window. They had parked where they could watch two sides of the store; Tony was at the opposite corner keeping a lookout behind the building.

It only took a few moments for Shark to commence tapping.

"STOP." Casper yelled at the top of his lungs.

Shark froze. Vin jumped and spilled coffee on his jeans. "You both need to chill. We could be in here a while."

"Just stop tapping." Casper pleaded.

Shark passed a box of tissues to Vin. "You want to talk about it?" Shark offered to his best friend.

"Talk about what?" Casper turned to stare out the window.

"Talk about what's got you in such a bad mood."

"I'm not in a bad mood. Mind your own fucking business."

Vin scoffed.

"What?" Casper turned back to him.

"You sound like your old lady." Vin muttered, sticking the coffee soaked tissues into a cup holder as he dried his jeans.

"Nothing's wrong, don't want to talk about it." Casper mumbled and turned back to stare out the window.

"Okay Gabby." Shark mocked him and Vin chuckled.

* * *

Happy sat in the driver's seat of the van. He kept his eyes trained on Lance as the young prospect made his way to the back of the plaza this store was located in. Happy was pleased with this location. The store was in the middle of a plaza, the plaza located in the middle of a street, any intersection a good distance off. The only way for anyone to access the store was on the main street, or jumping the fence in the back by the dumpsters.

The thought of Lance spending his first few hours as a prospect hiding between dumpsters put a smirk on his face. Bull clanking around the back of the van trying to get comfortable took that smirk back off.

"You ain't taking a nap. Stop moving and look out the fucking window." Hap snapped.

"Tell me again why we couldn't send HIM to the dumpsters." Tom Tom whispered.

"They don't know Lance. Can't take a chance of 'em recognizing the shit bag."

Tom Tom nodded his head and gazed out the window. God he hoped this wouldn't take long. Hours alone with the Tacoma Killer was not his idea of a fun night.

Tom Tom remembered the first time he had heard of the man, as a prospect. And then the legend had arrived in Fresno, bald, black eyes, and covered in ink. He'd been decisive, not blinking an eye at the near suicide mission he was being sent on. It had gone wrong, horribly wrong, and he had stuck around to see it through He had barely escaped with his life, laying his bike down in the process. Tom Tom had been utterly shocked when Happy's daughter had shown up, worried as could be. He hadn't been able to contain his curiosity, asking blatant and rude questions about being raised by a serial killer.

And now he found himself once again being taken over by curiosity. He didn't like butting into his brother's lives, but if there was one thing Happy would talk about, it was his daughter. And god did Tom Tom want some small talk going.

He took a deep breath before asking, "Gabby tell you why she left last night?" He spoke quietly, not wanting to involve Bull in the conversation.

"Why she what?" Hap asked.

Tom Tom's eyebrows shot up. 'Shit shit shit!' His brain screamed, Happy didn't know. "Never mind."

"Don't fucking never mind me. Gabby left? Left where?"

"You know, I'm really not even sure." Tom Tom risked a look at Happy and swallowed nervously at the glare he was receiving.

* * *

"I don't like this corner." Frankie spoke in a low voice to Lenard.

"Neither do I." Lenard whispered back.

"Casper's research was dead on." Juice rambled more so to himself than the others as he swept through pages on an ipad. "Viper has been picked up twice from this store. His old crew lost a lot of people here, but he always came back."

"Uh huh." Lenard acknowledged him. It was obvious to any Fresno patch, or civilian, why Viper would keep coming back here. The junkies were three deep around these parts. Lenard could walk out there with baggies of crushed up tic tac's and make a fucking killing.

"Check him out." Juice nodded his head at the window

"You got something?" Lenard and Frankie went on full alert.

"That guy's pissing on the fire hydrant. He think he's a dog or something?"

"Jesus." Frankie mumbled.

"Starting to understand Tig's big ass smirk when I said we'd keep Juice in here." Lenard said, not quite quiet enough.

"Nah, he just don't like cages. Vivica's got a sweet ass ride though." Juice started to take a better look around the SUV. He leaned between the seats to get a better look at the stereo.

"Get the fuck back there." Lenard pushed him back. Frankie chuckled.

Juice cleared his throat and picked the ipad back up. "So this isn't your territory? How does that work, not having a whole city? Have you tried taking over completely? Far as I can tell Mayan's never moved back in. That's how you got Fresno, right, when the Mayan's here all got locked up. Why didn't you take over everything?"

Lenard looked at Frankie, Frankie knew that look. "Juice, help Tig." Frankie said matter of factly.

"Why?" Juice asked, now distracted by something on the ipad.

"Because this is a busy location. We need more feet on the ground." Frankie explained.

"Thought the plan was just one person on the ground at each shop. So we don't' spook 'em." Juice didn't look up as he continued to scroll through pages.

"That's because the other groups only have one person that won't be recognized. We have two." Frankie explained slowly, as if to a child.

"But…" Juice started.

"Get Out Juice!" Lenard snapped.

Juice finally looked up and after seeing Lenard's eyes in the mirror scrambled out of the SUV and crossed the street to the store.

Lenard leaned back in the driver's seat and continued his watch. "Jesus Christ."

"What?"

"That retard went inside and bought a slushie."

* * *

Vin hung up the phone and tossed it back into the center console. "Lenard's got nothing. Hap called him with the same 20 minutes ago."

"How long is Lenard willing to wait?" Casper asked, trying not to doubt his choice in locations.

"Through the night. Much longer and the plan changes to just two lookouts at each shop and pulling shifts."

"I would think they'd want cover of darkness." Shark thought up. "Maybe we should have figured that in. Should ave waited longer to come out here. I kinda need to pee."

"Jesus Christ." Casper mumbled.

"What?" Shark immediately went on the defensive.

"Pretty sure Mathew would be better on a stake out than you."

"I bet he would be. He has diapers."

"I am Not listening to this right now." Vin tried to convince himself, staring out the window. "When's the last time Tony checked in?"

"About ten minutes ago." Casper checked his phone.

Vin sighed and leaned his chair back more. "Gonna be a long night."

* * *

"What?" Hap asked curtly as he answered his phone.

"I, I ah, I think I got something." Lance whispered into the phone.

Happy sat up straight and searched the street out his window. "What exactly do you think you have?" He asked, gaining the attention of the other men in the van.

"I got someone dealing back here." Lance said even quieter. He would have preferred to text, but Happy had snapped at him for it as his first check in.

"Someone dealing? Is it our target?"

"No, some chick dealing to an old man."

"So a druggie is scoring in an alley amongst the worse drug riddled streets of the city?"

"What, ummm…yeah." Lance answered Happy confused.

Happy ended the call and tossed the phone to Tom Tom. "Fucking idiot." He mumbled.

"You want me to check it out?" Bull asked, pulling out his gun.

"That would blow our cover, asshole." Tom Tom pre-empted Happy.

Bull sunk back down to the floor of the van and holstered his gun.

"Why aren't you looking out the fucking window?" Hap yelled when he saw Bull in the mirror. "I don't like him covering my ass." Happy growled.

"You want me to switch with him?" Tom Tom offered.

"Don't you fucking send him up here with me."

"I can hear you!" Bull yelled, insulted.

"GOOD." Hap yelled back.

* * *

"Getting dark." Frankie observed, more so to himself than Lenard.

"Good." Lenard sounded distracted.

"Because you like the dark?" Frankie asked sarcastically.

"It'll give them cover." Lenard expanded. "Hey." He hit Frankie's arm. "Check that out."

Frankie grabbed the binoculars and located the car that had just parked. Lenard reached to the back seat and grabbed the abandoned ipad.

"You know how to work that thing?" Frankie teased.

"Yeah." Lenard said, annoyed, as he entered the password and closed out all the open programs to get to the main screen and a clearly marked file left by Casper for reference. "Can you read that license plate?" He mumbled.

"Partially. I got a 122." Frankie read off.

"Viper's car, gotta be." Lenard tossed the ipad in the back and picked up the phone. "I got the Charming boys, you get the other teams here. Tell them to stay clear out of sight, but be ready to tail."

They both shot off text messages and sank lower in the seats of the SUV.

"I see Tig." Frankie sat up a little as Lenard nodded his head and smiled. The car they were watching was pulled up to the curb a few hundred feet before the store. Tig walked up casually to the car and leaned against the back of another, parked in front of it. He flashed an annoyed grin at the windshield and pulled out his phone.

"What the hell are you doing so close?" Lenard yelled into the phone as soon as he answered it. He clicked speaker and held the phone out between himself and Frankie.

"Hey baby." Tig answered and paused a moment. "Yeah, I got 'em both, just like I promised."

"Viper and Luce are both in the car?" Frankie clarified.

"Yeah, just like I promised."

"Look in the car, how armed are they?" Lenard demanded.

"Hey, hold on a sec, got some creeps staring at me." Tig walked past the car, this time glaring at it. "Alright, sorry baby. There ain't a quiet place to talk around here."

"Back up is on the way. We still want to wait for X. Are they armed?" Lenard asked while Frankie showed him time estimates from Vin and Happy's teams.

Tig walked further away from the car and leaned against a boarded up building, turning to face away from the car and SUV. "They're both in the front seat. No big armory in the car, probably packing hand guns. They're not looking around or anything yet, so they're probably early."

"Don't hang around too long. I don't want them spooked."

"Go around the block to your bike. Head left, meet up with Hap. He's gonna send Lance in, rotate out for Juice if they stay long." Frankie interrupted Lenard.

Tig turned back to the car. "Alright baby." He ended the call and walked back in the direction of the store, past it, and around the corner.

"How long do you want to sit on them?" Frankie asked.

"Till they leave. We got three cages to tail them somewhere quiet. No bikes. Tell them to stick to parallel streets. We only use them if they give chase."

Frankie nodded and went back to his phone, relaying messages.

"We got movement." Lenard announced after about 15 minutes.

"That's Luce." Frankie watched him get out of the car and casually walk into the store. Lance was now positioned at the entrance, the fact that he spent the last few hours hiding amongst dumpsters helped his disguise as a vagrant. Juice was inside the store, had been since the confirmation of the car.

Luce walked back out of the store with a drink and leaned on the front of the store, on the other side of the door from Lance.

"He's waiting." Lenard observed and let out a relieved sigh. "They have no idea what went down. Does everyone know their roles?"

"Cages waiting in opposite directions to tail them as soon as they leave. Bikes waiting on parallel streets, they know to wait till the car gives chase."

"They're gonna be nervous when he doesn't show."

"Happy is prepared to stop the car." Frankie assured his president.

Lenard nodded. Their resident assassin had insisted on driving the van. "Is he prepared to buy us a new one?"

"He knows what he's doing."

"Not reassuring."

"What the fuck?" Frankie opened up his phone. "Prospect is texting. Says Luce looks nervous. Where the fuck is that kid's phone?" Frankie grabbed the binoculars again and looked across the street. "He's texting from his pocket."

Lenard chuckled. "Mathew can open up cartoon apps on Gabby's phone. Of course this guy can text from his pocket. He is looking nervous. Tell the others to be ready to move."

"Are you sure we shouldn't grab them here?"

"Too many people here." Lenard wiped a hand over his face. "New plan. Get Juice out of the store. Tell him to leak one of their tires. We'll grab them when they stop."

"You're changing the plan now?" Frankie looked at him. "What happened to following them?"

"They're both here, I'm not losing them and there are too many people to grab them here. I'm making a decision."

Frankie nodded and once again went back to his phone. He didn't like the idea of changing the plan now. They had spent all of church making sure everyone knew the plan so split second decisions didn't have to be made.

Juice walked out of the store and made his way towards the car. He eyed the SUV. How the hell was he supposed to slowly leak air out of a tire with the driver on full alert inside?

"What the hell is Juice doing?" Lenard leaned toward the window. Juice walked completely passed the car, ducked behind a truck parked behind the car and shimmied himself under the length of it so he was under the back of the car once more.

"Why is he just lying there?" Lenard groaned.

"All he's got is a knife. He stabs the tire too soon they won't be able to leave."

"Fine, okay. Tell the others what we're doing. I'm hoping they'll get out to change it, but either way they're gonna stop without Happy ramming them with the van."

"Luce is moving again." Frankie saw as he started texting.

Lenard nearly held his breath as Luce first walked then jogged back to the car. He practically leapt into the passenger's seat and Viper quickly pulled away.

Juice crawled up to the curb and waited till the car turned the corner to jog across the street and join the SUV.

"You get it done?" Lenard asked as soon as Juice closed the door.

"Yeah. They got maybe three miles. They headed toward Casper. Hap's gonna have to turn around to get on their tail, we need to pick up the newbie."

Lenard rolled his eyes but started up the SUV and made a U-turn to pick up Lance. Juice opened the back door and whistled. Lance jumped in and Lenard took off down the street.

"Juice get on the phone with Casper. Get me a play by play. Frankie, get Hap." Lenard ordered as he wove his way through traffic.

"Shark Tom Tom and Tig are pulled off in alleys in different directions. We won't lose them before they go flat.

"Casper is trailing him." Juice reported.

"I'm gonna cut over and get in front. Tell Hap to keep the van close but out of sight. They see that van they will know it's us." Lenard made two sharp right turns, speeding down alleys. Juice and Lance laid down flat in the back and Frankie ducked down as Lenard turned sharply in front of the car, eliciting a long honk from Viper. Lenard flipped him off and slowed the SUV.

Frankie angled himself just right to see the car in the side mirror. "They're slowing down. Hap is behind Casper."

With that the car came to a complete stop.

"Now!" Lenard yelled. He threw the SUV in park, the SUV in back doing the same. Happy pulled the van up to the side of the car just as Luce hopped out. Frankie, Juice, Lance, Vin, Tony, and Bull all piled out of their respective cages, leaving only the drivers. Frankie and Tony grabbed Luce completely unaware and manhandled him through the space between the car and the rear SUV and shoved him into the van.

The rest of the men, hidden from the street by the cages, pulled guns and surrounded the car. Viper gripped the wheel tight, but he was completely boxed in, and there was no way to get out of the car and leave on foot.

Vin stepped up to the window and knocked on the glass with his gun. "Get out. We just want to talk to you."

Viper let go of the wheel but didn't move to open the door.

"We can talk to you whole, or broken. You aren't getting past us. Just cooperate; save us all some time and blood." Vin paused a moment, giving Viper the chance to unlock the door. "Put a point in your favor Viper."

Viper ever so slowly started to take off the seatbelt.

"Good boy. Leave the car on, put any weapons on the passenger's seat and unlock the door."

Viper unlocked the door with his left hand, his right in the air. Vin pulled the door open and Viper got out.

"Gun's under the seat." He mumbled.

Vin and Juice both searched him anyway. Vin nodded his head satisfied and they walked him to the van where Luce was being guarded by Frankie Tony and Happy. They threw Viper in and both climbed in as well to help guard the men.

"Lance, get the tire changed and take the car to the shop." With that order Vin slammed the door shut.

Lance popped the trunk of the car, the few men left in the street jumped into open seats in the SUV's and the club made their way through town.

* * *

_Thanks for reading!_


	24. Chapter 24

_A big thank you to the freak circle and my beta EmeraldJewelSparkle._

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Disclaimer: I do not have the rights to SOA and make no profit off my writing. Anything you don't recognize from the show I have created.

Content Warning: This fanfiction is rated M. Please respect that warning and do not read this if you do not want to read M rated material.

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2022

Age 30

The entire group pulled into the overgrown lot the landscaping gear was kept on. It was Eggs business technically. The club kept it running while he was in prison, but it had long stopped making a profit and was used only to wash cash. The lot and building now served well as a place to do the club's bloody chores.

It wasn't till everyone had parked that Lenard and Casper threw the doors of the van open. Happy and Juice grabbed Luce, Frankie and Vin grabbed Viper and they all followed Lenard into the building. When the D-27 members were securely tied in an empty corner of the building guarded by Happy and Vin; Lenard called the rest of the men into a group.

"I need Shark and Tig here. Rest of you go back to the clubhouse. We're gonna need you well rested and ready to go once we get intel." Lenard crossed his arms and spoke firmly to the group. Shark and Tig both walked away, Shark gave Casper a quick pat on the shoulder.

Most of the men nodded their heads and turned to leave. "I'll leave you the extra cage." It was a given the van would stay here, but Frankie wouldn't force Lenard to ride in the back of the van with the soon to be dead men. Lenard's face was already showing the displeasure of having to watch Happy do his thing.

"Thanks. Take Shark's bike. Get the holes dug." Lenard gave Frankie a half smile and patted him on the back.

Frankie nodded his head and followed Juice, Bull, and Tony out of the building. "You sure you don't need me Pres?" Tom Tom asked.

"Yeah. Get back to the clubhouse brother." Lenard squeezed his shoulder and sent him on his way. He turned to find Casper waiting as well.

Lenard waited a moment for Casper to talk, but he just stood there with his arms crossed. "Don't need you Casper. Go back. Put your kids to bed. We're gonna be busy the next few days, this might be your last chance for a while."

"I'm staying." Casper said, 100% sure of himself.

Lenard studied him. He'd never thought of Casper as the torturing type. Would never ask it of him or expect it from him. Then again, Lenard knew Casper wasn't staying around to help question the men. And the fact that Casper would volunteer to stay and watch this to avoid his wife worried him greatly.

"I don't need you here." Lenard stated plainly.

"I want to stay."

"I don't want you here." Lenard cut him off but Casper continued to stand firm. "Casper, you don't want to see what's about to happen. I don't want to see what's about to happen." He could, he should, simply order Casper to leave, but Lenard didn't want to abuse his power in that way.

"Why does everyone think I'm such a pushover? I can handle torture. I can stay here and verify any information you get right on the spot. Use me Pres." Casper pleaded.

Lenard slowly shook his head. This had nothing to do with how the club saw Casper. This was all how Gabby saw Casper. He couldn't help but wonder if Casper actually knew that, or if everything was too muddled up in his head to keep it straight.

"Stay out of the way. You aren't here to torture. Just listen. I tell you to leave, you LEAVE."

Casper nodded his head and followed Lenard back to the corner where the men were bound. Both Happy and Vin gave Lenard an odd look. Lenard shrugged them off. Casper wasn't cut out for torturing men, but the only way to prove that to him was to let him see what it really entailed.

* * *

"Bull, take Tony, go pick up Lance. Lock the car up in the garage. Go to the field, dig two holes." Frankie ordered upon their return to the clubhouse. Bull nodded his head. He knew what field Frankie meant, two bodies had already been buried there today. He and Tony pulled back out of the lot, the gate being opened and closed by a hang around, and Juice, Frankie, and Tom Tom headed inside.

Frankie walked directly over to Harry and both men soon entered the chapel. Juice settled in Casper's tech corner. Tom Tom looked around the room. The kids were gone, put to bed; Gabby and Becky were sitting at a table facing the door. Becky was subtly looking at Tom Tom, Gabby was still staring at the door; waiting for more people to come through it.

He took a deep breath and walked up to the table. "Hey." He greeted them both.

"Hey." Becky smiled at him. Gabby looked at him and her whole face dropped.

"Everyone made it through fine. The others are just finishing up." He assured Gabby. Gabby gave him a slight nod of the head and got up from the table. Tom Tom watched her walk out of the clubhouse and up the stairs to the dorms.

"You want to sit?" Becky gave him a small smile. Tom Tom looked down at Becky. He had yet to even speak to her since bringing her to the clubhouse this afternoon. She didn't seem bothered by it; then again he'd either been gone, in church, or visibly busy. Now there was nothing to hide behind. They had yet to have a chance to really truly actually talk. He kinda liked that. Made it hard to screw up.

Tom Tom sat in Gabby's abandoned seat. He had no idea what to say.

"I'm glad everyone's okay." Becky started. She sounded as unsure of herself as he felt.

"Yeah. I mean, me too." He looked around the room and blew out a breath.

"Is everything okay Tom Tom? You seem, I don't know, really nervous."

"I'm fine. I mean…sorry. Long day I guess. "

"You want me to leave you alone?" Becky asked in a much smaller voice. Tom Tom heard the hurt in it.

"No, fuck, I mean…shit. No sorry. You ah…you put Suzie to sleep?"

"Yeah, just before you got here." Becky started to fidget with the book she had on the table.

Tom Tom nodded his head. "What are you reading?"

"Slaughterhouse-Five." Becky shrugged. Tom Tom's interest was suddenly peaked; he scooted his chair a bit closer to her and spun the book to face him.

"Or The Children's Crusade? Jesus, do they slaughter kids in this book?" Tom Tom asked, suddenly horrified. He pushed the book away but stayed where he was, his arm just barely brushing hers.

"Umm, it's about a solider in World War II." Becky summed up, at least enough to get the sick look off his face.

Tom Tom nodded and leaned back in his chair. His arm no longer touched hers, but his leg shifted to lean against the length of hers. "You like war books?"

"New Year's resolution. Read a new classic book every month. Expand my horizons I suppose." She shrugged her shoulders and looked away.

Tom Tom smiled at her ever present embarrassment. "A noble mission." She turned back to him and smiled. "You should get to bed. Clubhouse wakes up early." Becky scoffed. "Well, when we aren't all hung over after a party we're up pretty early."

"Where are you gonna sleep?" Becky asked quickly before she lost her nerve.

"Here." Tom Tom knocked on the table. "Or, probably claim a couch before the other guys show up."

"If you want your room…"

"No. Not gonna happen. You and Suzie get that. Believe me, if I hadn't of offered Lenard would have given it to you anyway." Tom Tom stood up and took Becky's hand, leading her to stand as well. He walked her to the stairs and kissed her cheek, it was a brave move in the clubhouse, certainly a bigger display of his intentions than actually groping her would be. Luckily most of his brothers were still gone.

"Good night." He said as he pulled away.

"Good night." She repeated and headed up the stairs.

* * *

Casper watched as his father in law, technically both his father's in law, and his best friend washed the blood off their hands. Vin and Lenard had spent the night in the background, asking questions but not participating in getting the answers. Casper stood off to the side, regretting his decision to stay, but forcing himself to watch.

He couldn't believe what Shark had done under the direction of Happy and Tig. He'd always imagined torture to be the pulling of fingernails, burning, and cutting of flesh. Happy had pulled out a tool box like no other. Tig had suggested things that Casper could have gone the rest of his life not even able to imagine.

And Shark had just…joined in. He didn't even look all that affected by it. Casper found himself wondering what Shark had done in Florida before he transferred here and perhaps even what he had done in the Marines.

"All that for nothing." Lenard sounded sick. Casper looked to the two dead bodies. He was actually glad they were dead. They had been in so much pain.

"We got…something out of them." Casper comforted Lenard.

Happy walked over at that comment. "No much more than what we got out of Sling. But now we know."

Lenard nodded his head. "Shark." He got the man's attention. "Take 'em. Bull and the prospects are waiting. Casper, go with 'em. Make it quick. Church when you get back."

Shark and Casper nodded and began rolling the bodies up in the tarps that had been laid out to catch the blood. Happy and Vin helped to carry the bodies out to the van. They passed Tig going out for a smoke break on their way back in. Tig had never been a Nomad; he wasn't used to being a visiting brother. Especially not without more of his own charter. He found himself making excuses to stay out of Fresno's hair.

When the officers came back inside Lenard was already spreading out bleach and hosing the area down; standard practice. Happy grabbed more bleach and a wire brush; he took great care in cleaning and packing up his tools.

Vin stood by till Lenard was finished, there was no hurry, the boys would be at least an hour disposing of the bodies, a lot longer if the prospects hadn't finished the holes.

"What are you thinking?" Vin asked Lenard as he took the hose from his president and began wrapping it up.

"I think we're shit out of luck. It's gonna take scouring the streets and calling in favors to find X. No fancy computer shit is gonna track that murderer down."

"Searching means putting our men in danger." Vin said quietly.

Happy walked up as Vin spoke. "At least we know he's alone." Happy added.

"Maybe he'll leave. He's got no family here. No crew. No way of making money." Vin tried to lighten the mood, but he knew it was too much to hope for.

"We killed his brother. This is personal for him." Lenard shot down the idea.

"I killed his brother." Happy clarified. He had been thinking about that fact a lot lately.

"You killed him on Chris's order. And X obviously sees it that way too. Else he wouldn't have gone after Chris first." Lenard assured Happy and looked at his watch.

"We good?" Tig asked, walking back inside to the others.

Lenard and Vin looked at each other a moment before turning back to Tig. "Yeah, let's get going." Lenard swept an arm out for Tig to lead the way.

"Lenard." Happy caught his attention in a low voice. Lenard fell back from the group to talk to Happy.

"What's up?" Lenard asked when the others were out of ear shot.

"Why was Casper here?" Happy asked frankly.

Lenard took a deep, measured breath. "He wanted to stay."

Happy obviously didn't like that answer. He continued to stare at Lenard till the man had to fight back a shiver.

"What did Gabby want to talk to you about?" Happy finally asked, referring to her coming up to him before dinner was served.

"Questions from the sweet butts." Lenard assured him.

"Nothing else?"

"No. But I'm damn curious as to what you might know about what's going on. Never seen those two get this bad."

"Me either." Happy confessed and finally began walking to the door.

* * *

Shark drummed his hands on the steering wheel as he drove through town. Casper stared out the window, watching the streetlights wiz by. When he had watched Deus die, what seemed like ages ago now, he had been sick. He had drunk himself into a stupor and slept in his garage, clinging to his wife. He hadn't feel worthy of going inside the house where his children slept.

He'd just spent four hours watching his brothers' torture two men. He wasn't sure how exactly he felt about it. He certainly hadn't enjoyed it, but he didn't have the same; 'I'm going to burn in hell for this' feeling either. Those men had participated in murdering Chris. His entire family was locked away in the clubhouse because of the threat those men had been.

"Where you at, brother?" Shark interrupted his thoughts.

Casper looked at him startled, then shrugged. "Just going over what they said."

"They didn't say all that much." Shark turned onto the long private drive that would take them to a grown over field. "Why'd you stay in there man?"

Casper ground his teeth. "I ain't as weak as people think. I can handle torture. Why'd you stay?"

"Lenard and Happy asked me to participate. You know why." Casper stared out the window for the rest of the journey till they parked the van.

Casper went through to the back and opened the double doors. Tony grabbed the feet of one of the bodies and Casper helped him carry it to a pre-dug grave. Shark stayed in the driver's seat, Bull stayed outside the van. Lance looked around, not willing to take the risk of asking either of them for help. He hoisted the second body over his shoulder and stumbled to the leftover empty grave.

Casper came back and sat on the edge of the van. Covering the bodies was quicker work than digging the holes. Casper directed them from his perch to beat down the dirt and lay the carefully scrapped up sod back down, stomping it down. This covered what would otherwise be an obvious grave with the same overgrown grass and weed mix as the rest of the field.

"Give us a lift to the SUV." Bull proposed and stated to grab the door to hop into the van.

"No." Shark answered as Casper pulled the doors closed. He started the engine and pulled around next to Bull. "Hurry up though, Church as soon as we get back."

Casper smirked as he climbed back into the passenger seat and Shark started the drive to the road once more. He didn't want anyone hanging around to see them leave together, especially since they didn't arrive together. The fact that Bull didn't think about that shit really bugged him.

Shark and Casper pulled onto the lot after having to call Frankie to unlock the gate. The place was eerie this late at night with no party going. The construction equipment caste looming shadows in the moon light. Motion lights supplemented the few security lights on the perimeter as the men walked through the lot.

They both stopped at the sound of a bike and watched Tig pull on the lot followed by Vin, Lenard, and Hap in the SUV. Casper checked his phone and looked at Shark.

"Where the fuck is Bull?" Shark asked as Casper turned to him.

"Please tell me he just got lost." Casper mumbled. Neither of them wanted to consider the possibility that more brothers had been attacked. "Jesus fucking Christ."

"No." Shark put a hand on Casper's shoulder to calm him. "I see headlights." A few moments later the last SUV pulled onto the lot and Frankie locked the gate up and came to the growing group of patches in the middle of the lot.

"Whole clubhouse is asleep." Frankie warned the men before they made their way inside.

Sleeping bodies were spread out on every couch, in chairs slumped over tables, and even a few brave souls balanced on barstools leaning on the bar. It wasn't that unusual, except that everyone was fully dressed and there were no empty bottles strewn around. The men silently made their way through the clubhouse, shaking Tom Tom, Juice, and Harry awake on the way.

Lenard shook his head at Lance and Tony and closed the doors on them and the rest of the clubhouse. As he settled in his chair he gave a nod to Vin to go ahead and share what they had learned.

"We have no leads to go on. Viper and Luce never heard from X. They didn't know anything went down. Far as they knew there was nowhere else for X to run to." Vin cut to the chase.

"Good news is there has been no recruiting. Heard it from both sides of the operation now. X is alone wherever he is." Lenard followed up his VP.

"Are we going to assume he's still in Fresno? I mean, come on, let's face it, he's all alone, why would he stay here?" Bull proposed.

"We killed his entire gang." Lenard snapped at him. "I'd like to think, if someone came in and annihilated all but one of us, that that one lone man left would take vengeance. Though I see that would depend on the man."

"Fuck you! I'm talking common fucking sense!" Bull stood up and snapped.

Happy stood up along with Vin and Frankie and stared down Bull.

"At least you knew I was talking about you this time." Lenard stated calmly, still sitting. "Sit your ass down or leave."

Bull's nostrils flared as he stared down his president, but he sat. He was too much of a coward to do anything other than what he was told.

"We're going to spread out and search town for this guy. Casper you and Juice track down any leads you can on associates in town. Tig, I need you on the phone to Jax. Tell him to get any info from the Mayans he can. I'll meet up with them if I need to. The rest of us will be out on the streets. Talk to whoever you can, search buildings you get a feeling about, I don't care. Stick together, no less than two of you together." Lenard laid down the plan quickly.

"What's our angle on the search? If we find conspirators are we killing them too? Should we try to contact Diablos?" Shark asked.

"I don't want to bring Diablos into this if we don't have to. That club has no standing in this town. I don't want them taking an interest in it. Hard enough trying to wrangle all the individual dealers 'round here, don't need a gang like that moving in. X is a dead man. Other than him I want the killing to stop. Anyone else got anything to say?"

The men were silent; some of them shook their heads.

"Alright, we start searching at dawn. Get a few hours of sleep." He banged the gavel down and the men slowly rose. The officers paused when Lenard didn't get up but he waved them off. He needed to think, and with the state of the clubhouse he'd probably end up sleeping in the chapel as well.

Bull started up the stairs to his dorm. Harry laid a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"Gave your room to Jennifer." Harry spoke quietly, mindful of the sleeping bodies in the bar.

Bull spun around. "You what? That's bullshit. Jennifer's not an old lady."

"No, but she has a kid." Harry defended his decision.

"Fuck that. Evan's 15." Bull got louder and Tom Tom walked over to the staircase.

"Find a place in the clubhouse like everyone else Bull. You ain't special." Tom Tom backed Harry and waited for Bull to give in and come down the stairs.

Happy watched Casper grab an ipad and type something in. He finished quickly and set it down, so he obviously wasn't starting his hacking. When he sat down in his computer chair Happy walked over.

"You got a bed upstairs waiting for you." Happy crossed his arms and stood over Casper.

"Full size bed doesn't fit us all." Casper brushed him off.

"Go upstairs with your family Casper." Happy commanded as he continued to stare.

Casper stared back for a moment, but he knew he was no match for his father in law. "It's your family too old man. You need a bed a lot more than I do."

Happy leaned over Casper, grasping one arm rest in each large hand, trapping Casper in his chair. "You just watched me torture and kill two men, boy. Don't fuck with me. Don't fuck with my daughter."

He let go of the chair with such force it rolled back a few feet. Happy didn't wait to see what Casper's decision would be; he grabbed him by the bicep and hauled him out of the chair to the staircase.

Happy marched Casper up the staircase and right into the dorm his family was sleeping in. There was almost enough room on the bed for Casper, and just as Hap had expected, there was a pillow and bed roll sitting on the dresser.

Casper stood and stared at his sleeping wife and children in the dark. Gabby had sandwiched Mathew between herself and Kristen. Kristen had in turn taken up about half the mattress. Happy toed off his boots and lay his cut on the dresser before laying out the bed roll. He watched from the floor as Casper did the same and scooted Kristen over carefully, making a place for himself on the bed with his family. He spooned Kristen, pulling her up against his chest with one arm, his other stretching out to graze his wife's wild curls laid across her pillow.

Happy didn't know what was going on between Gabby and Casper, but he did know that Casper required his family to get him over what he had been through today.

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_Thanks for reading :D _


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